Rival in Styx
by River.W
Summary: Percy though that his life would be perfect. He has the perfect girlfriend, great friends, and a peaceful year at camp. At least that's what he thought. Another year begins at Camp Half-Blood, alongside it, new campers... Among all of the new campers, one in particular holds a dark secret. A secret that will shake the foundation of Olympus, and with it, Percy's belief in his father
1. Prologue

**Hey Guys, I've finally decided to start rewriting the earlier chapters. It's going to take some time to fix them all, so please be patient. And worry not, it's still the same plot. I'm just making it clearer and more descriptive now. Also, I'm fixing the grammar and all that stuff. Sorry if I still make some mistakes. But this one should be much better now.**

**In any case, Enjoy the first chapter!**

* * *

Finally, I'm back to the camp. For the first time ever, I feel that there really is nothing else that can bring me down. I feel that the camp is finally safe, once and for all, that everything is going to be just fine this year.

The wind is blowing nicely, and I can even hear the birds chirping. The sun feels warm, and it doesn't look like it's going to rain. It just feels like it's going to be a perfect day.

'Percy!' A familiar voice calls before I can walk into the camp.

I turn around, and then I see Annabeth running toward me. She leaps forward to me, and then I catch her. She hugs me tightly, almost squeezing, and then she kisses me gently.

'Another year. Feeling excited?' She smiles.

Gods, I forgot how beautiful she is. I smile back to her, and then I let her down

Annabeth is wearing the camp's t-shirt, with long blue jeans. She carries a backpack with her invisible cap tied to her backpack. She lets down her hair, and it grows a little bit longer than the last time I saw her.

I offer her my hand, 'Ms. Chase.' I smile to her.

Annabeth smiles back, and then she holds my hand. Annabeth is walking right next to me in this beautiful sunny day, and even the camp seems peaceful.

Five steps into the camp, and we can hear loud cheering.

Travis and Connor Stoll run past us, they glance back at me, 'Come on, Percy! You don't want to miss this!' Well, at least everyone is still as energetic as ever.

The brothers run to a crowd of campers, they're circling something there, and they're all cheering.

'What's going on?' Annabeth wonders.

I shrug, 'Only one way to find out.'

Annabeth and I approach the crowd. Apparently, all of them have been watching a fight.

A familiar face shows up in the middle of the circle, Clarisse. The one who's fighting her is a boy, but he doesn't look familiar one bit. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have never even seen him in the camp before. A new kid then? A first year camper is fighting Clarisse la rue; this is not going to end well.

'We should stop them.' Annabeth says. 'He's no match for Clarisse.'

I agree with Annabeth, and I'm about to step in but then Travis Stoll stops us.

'Are you crazy? This is way too interesting to be stopped! I heard the new kid has last for more than ten minutes already!' Travis says.

'That can't be right.' Annabeth says.

'It's true. I've been here from the beginning.' Will Solace appears out of nowhere, he seems to have blended in with the crowd completely.

Hearing Will's words make me want to actually watch this match. Even Annabeth starts to focus on the duel between the new kid and Clarisse.

Clarisse swings her spear, every swing looks dangerous and painful, but the new kid dodges them with ease. Clarisse looks annoyed, and then she makes a mistake by swinging her spear wide. The new kid sees this opportunity as well, he ducks and then he roundhouse kick Clarisse. Clarisse falls on the ground, and her spear gets knocked off three feet away from her.

The crowd goes silent, shocked at what just happened. It shocks both me and Annabeth as well. What the new kid just did was actually really skillful. Not a lot of people can evade Clarisse's spear perfectly like that. Chris Rodriguez looks especially worried.

I examine the new kid. He's wearing a denim shirt with white t-shirt underneath, and blue jeans. His clothes are a bit torn off, probably from Clarisse's spear. The new kid wields a long bronze celestial sword.

The new kid has black hair, waxed to the side a bit. He has a pair of blue eyes, with a good look; kind of like a combination of pretty and handsome. He's around 5'9" tall. He looks young, around sixteen or seventeen years old, around my age.

'Is that the best you can do?' The new kid grins proudly.

Clarisse quickly rolls to her spear. She grabs it, and then she quickly stands up. Clarisse roars, the same kind of roar she let out when she slayed a drakon. Clarisse looks terrifying, she even terrifies some of the new campers with her roar. Her opponent on the other hand doesn't look scared nor threatened.

Clarisse starts swinging her spear wildly. The new kid dodges them all again, easily; he's smiling, almost mocking Clarisse, underestimating her.

That's a mistake, Clarisse is not someone who you should underestimate.

Clarisse sees an opportunity, and then she kicks the new kid on the side of his right knee. The new kid's balance is thrown out, and then Clarisse swings her spear and strikes the new kid of his side. Clarisse throws the new kid right to the crowd. The campers are surprised when they see the new kid coming; the new kid brings down some of the campers to the ground with him when he lands.

'I guess that's the best that you can do.' She says.

Clarisse exhales, she looks happy and proud. She drops her stance, and then she raises her spear to stir up the crowd. The campers cheers, especially the Ares' kids, they all look a bit relieved, and so does Chris Rodriguez. It did look pretty bad back then.

'Clarisse!' Annabeth yells.

Clarisse turns to Annabeth, 'Relax. I hit him with the blunt side.' Clarisse assures.

The Ares' kids cheer again, but then they suddenly stop. Clarisse, with her hands still up, looks a bit puzzled. The Ares kids' eyes are fixed on something. I look at the direction of where the Ares cabin is looking. The new kid is there, standing; he's bleeding from the corner of his lips.

Clarisse turns around, she looks a bit surprised, but she keeps her composure cool. She starts walking to the side, and so does the new kid. They both are now walking in circles, facing each other.

The new kid stops, and so does Clarisse. Clarisse puts her stance back up, and then the new kid charges. He swings his sword vertically, slamming his sword to Clarisse. Clarisse blocks it with her spear, but the new kid keeps slamming his sword down. The blunt sound that the clashes make indicates that the attack is strong. It's also fast; he's not even giving Clarisse a chance to counterattack.

Little by little, the new kid is bringing down Clarisse's guard. Clarisse know this as well, she looks weary from receiving all those attacks.

Clarisse tries to back away, she's trying to put some distance between them first. Unfortunately, the new kid has been waiting for this. When Clarisse takes one step back, the new kid leaps forward and strikes Clarisse in the gut with his knee. It connects, and Clarisse stumbles. The new kid elbows Clarisse, knocking her off of her feet. Clarisse falls on the ground, and the crowd goes silent again.

The new kid just stands there, he's waiting. Clarisse wobbly stands up again, her nose is bleeding out. The new kid points his sword at Clarisse, he's clearly provoking Clarisse. Clarisse's face turns red; she's angry, really angry. Clarisse charges again, swinging her spear. The new kid ducks, and then hits Clarisse in the face using his sword hilt. Clarisse squints and yelps in pain. The new kid continues; he elbows Clarisse right in the gut. The new kid then grabs Clarisse shirt's collar; using his own body and back as a pivot, he slams Clarisse to the ground. Clarisse lies there helplessly.

The match is over, all the campers there know that Clarisse has just lost the match, and what's more is to a new camper. No one is talking or even whispering, it's absolutely quiet, like mourning for something.

The new kid breathes heavily, his face is relaxed now after the match. He walks and grabs his shirt that is on the ground, and then he walks away.

The Ares' kids quickly come to Clarisse's aid, she's unconscious. Chris Rodriguez tries to wake her up, and then after a couple of seconds, Clarisse wakes up. Clarisse looks surprised, and puzzled of what's going on. Finally she realized that she has just lost the match. She looks down, embarrassed.

She looks back up at me, 'That's not normal. Nobody is that good on their first year.'

'She's right.' Annabeth mutters while watching the new kid walks away.

I watch the new kid disappears, as he walks deeper into the camp.


	2. Preparation For The Game

It is not a good day for the Ares cabin; in fact, it might have been the most terrible week they have ever had. Camp only has started for little more than a week.

None of the Ares' campers is in a good mood, and as a result, the other cabins get a piece of their wrath.

Most of the Apollo's campers can be found either in the garbage dump, or hanging upside down from a tree like some executed prisoners of war.

The Stoll brothers are probably in the river, taking a bath since five in the morning. The Ares' campers helped them, gave them a little push they needed to dive into that river.

Clarisse didn't join the fun though, she's still busy sulking around in her cabin. Even Chris Rodriguez has given up in trying to cheer her up.

'Sometimes, there are things that can only be cured by time.' Chiron said that a couple of days ago. Time is going to have to work a lot harder if it wants to cure Clarisse anytime soon.

It's not their fault, really… Okay, so maybe it IS wrong to pick on other campers just because you're in a bad mood, but I kind of understand them. I actually feel a little bit sorry. Some new kid just beat up the Ares cabin's leader, the cabin of the god of war; they're the best at fighting. To make it worse, it happened on the first day of camp. I'm sure that if Ares hears about this, he won't be too happy about his children.

'Percy!' Annabeth calls.

I trance back into reality. 'Uh… Yeah?'

Annabeth and I are sitting near the training ground, watching a group of Ares' campers giving wedgies to Janus' campers.

'Then which strategy you want to use?'

'Uhm… Strategy?'

Annabeth sighs, 'You weren't listening to me, were you?'

I force a smile, 'Sorry… I was thinking of something.'

Annabeth examines me with her eyes, 'About the incident that happened to Clarisse?'

I nod. Annabeth has always been good in reading my mind, and I don't even know how she does it.

Annabeth sighs again, 'You're thinking about this too much, Percy. Even gods lose sometimes, let alone Clarisse.'

'Her opponent is a new camper, a camper that has never been to the camp before in his life, and I'm pretty sure you get the best training for demigods in this camp. Aren't you wondering how he managed to defeat Clarisse? She was one of our best fighters.' I say to her.

'Clarisse is still not the strongest person in the world. I'm sure that many people are stronger than her outside of this camp. Besides, he's just a new kid that happened to beat Clarisse. It's not such a big deal.'

'It's not?' I raise my eyebrow.

Annabeth rolls her eyes, 'Okay, so maybe it is. Doesn't mean that you should be thinking about it day and night. Anyway, Clarisse is going to snap out of it, and she's going to take revenge on the new kid. Things will be back to normal in no time.' She smiles.

'I suppose...' I mumble.

I don't know why, but there's just something about that new kid that gives me a bad vibe. Somehow I feel really curious about him, and I don't even know why.

'I'm sure of it.' Annabeth kisses me. 'Now snap out of it and help me think about how we're going to deal with the hunters.'

'Hunters..?' I ask, not having a single clue of what she meant.

Annabeth rolls her eyes, 'The Hunters of Artemis will be here in a couple of hours! Chiron said that we should accompany them with a game of Capture the Flags while he talks to Artemis.'

I sigh, 'And why are we the leaders again?'

Annabeth smiles proudly, 'Because we're one of the senior members of the camp, and because I'm more than qualified to do it… And also because I elected you and myself to Chiron.'

I raise my eyebrow, 'Why did you even elect me?'

Annabeth crosses her arms, 'It's simple, Seaweed Brain… It's because I rather have you right beside me than anyone else…' She almost whispered at the end of the sentence. She blushes a little, and so do I. She clears her throat, 'You have any problem with that?' She asks.

I smile to her, 'Not at all, Ma'am.'

Annabeth smiles back, and then she puts up her thinking face, 'Let's start with the members. Artemis is bringing forty hunters with them, so we have to find another thirty eight campers.'

I stand up, 'I'll go to Apollo, Hermes, Morpheus, and Nemesis cabin then.'

Annabeth stands up as well, she nods, 'Alright, I'll get the other cabins. Nineteen campers from us each.' She looks at me, 'Don't wander off, Seaweed Brain.' She smiles to me, and then she walks away.

Annabeth and I split paths. I leave for Apollo's cabin right away, they're usually the easiest one to invite.

When I've arrived at the Apollo cabin, I spot Will Solace in front of the cabin, tied up in a tree and hanging upside down with his brothers.

I approach him, 'Will?' I call hm.

He adjusts his eyes, trying to recognize me. 'Oh… Hey there, Percy.' He says with a slightly cheerful tone.

I raise an eyebrow, 'What happened to you?' The answer is obvious, but I still ask for some reason.

'Oh, you know, the Ares' campers are not exactly in their best mood… So they took it out on us.'

After last year's incident, Will Solace has been appointed as the new Apollo cabin's counselor, but I doubt anyone who's looking at him now will believe that he's a senior cabin member and a counselor.

'Yeah, I can tell.' I say to him, 'I need to ask you guys something.'

Will smiles, 'Sure, Percy. But if it's not much trouble, can you please untie us first? It's not exactly comfortable talking to you in this position.'

I untie them, and then invite them to the game. They agree to it almost right away. It's nice to see that they are always friendly… Then again it's probably why the Ares' campers pick on them the most.

After that I walk to the Morpheus' cabin. It's a new cabin that has just been created. Not only the Morpheus though now. There's also Hecate's cabin, Janus' cabin, Nemesis' cabin. They have cabins for all the minor gods now.

I walk inside to the Morpheus' cabin, the place is really quiet. The beds are placed on the each side of the cabin, and almost all the beds are filled with a demigod. They all seem to be sleeping soundly. There are oil paintings on the walls, some are new and some are old, the children of Morpheus probably drew this. The paintings appear to be scenes of dreams that someone has gone through. There's a single large wooden table placed next to the door with a lot of wooden chairs, it all looks brand new but they're dusty, like they have never been used before. Next to the fireplace is a blue comfortable looking couch with a small circular wooden table in front of it. There's an iPod plugged in to two small speakers on the small wooden table, playing a lullaby over and over again. There's even a jug of warm chocolate milk next to the iPod. The atmosphere here is so comfortable, and it makes you really sleepy at the same time.

I try to shake the sleepiness off, and then I start looking around. I spot the new Morpheus cabin's counselor sitting comfortably on the sofa next to the fireplace while sipping his Pepsi's can. The Nemesis cabin's counselor is standing right next to him, talking quietly.

I grin, this makes everything easier.

Matt Grey is the newly appointed and the first Morpheus cabin's counselor. He's around 5'11" tall with wavy brown thick hair intertwines with gray hair. Somehow all the children of Morpheus have some gray hair that intertwines with their normal hair. His body is full of scars, you can even see some on his neck, but there's not even one on his face. He didn't talk about it, he never wanted to discuss about it. Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, he's a very cheerful person, not to mention his love for flirting with pretty girls. Annabeth punched him in the face the first time she met Matt. Matt is wearing a black t-shirt with a silver skull logo on the front side of the t-shirt, with long gray jeans.

Even with all of this, it doesn't compare to Lisa Heidi, the Nemesis cabin's counselor. She's 5'3" tall with blonde hair braided over one shoulder, and an innocent cute looking face. She's the perfect image for a child of Nemesis, she always gets her revenge.

A couple of days ago, two Ares campers picked on her, and then the strangest thing happened right after that. Three hours after more bullying other campers they came back to their cabin. Strangely, the moment they entered their cabin, a bucket of honey fell and covered them both with it. Incidentally, a nest of killer bees just dropped off from the ceiling of their cabin. The bees come running out of their nest and swarm the two Ares' campers like a pack of hungry German shepherd to a meat. Somehow after that, they had this instant bright idea of running outside of their cabin and jumping to the nearest pond to get rid of the honey and the bees. I suppose it was only coincidental that there are so many pictures and photos of water and swimming pools all of the sudden in the Ares' cabin. No one seemed to have remembered of putting those pictures or photos there. It is also still a question though of how there's suddenly a pond near the Ares' cabin. They never built one, but it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Anyhow, the idea worked, and the two Ares' children managed to get rid of both the honey and the bees, and they only suffered a few stung on their faces and arms. Sadly enough it still didn't end there; they were relieved that it has ended, but they saw snakelike shadows in the pond, and finally realized that there were dozens of electric eels swimming around them. It was too late by then, and then ZAP! They were electrified. They finally crept out of the pool, exhausted and hurt, crawling through the grass trying to make it back to their cabin. They knew that the series of those unlucky events are over, their bad day was finished. Wrong," somebody" (Well, there was no proof, but I think everyone got the idea of who did it) was playing catch with Mrs. O'Leary, and the ball just happened to land right next to them. Mrs. O'Leary trampled them, leaving them half dead on the ground. They were still a bit conscious at that time, and then the culprit left a very special mark on their back (Don't ask what). It was signed as well with two letters: LH. (Yeah, everybody knows who). Right now those two campers are still screaming "Lisa Heidi" in the nursery over and over again. No proofs can be found linking this "accident" to Lisa Heidi. She had the perfect alibi.

'What's up, Perce?' Matt greets the moment he sees me. Lisa turns to me as well.

I smile, 'Matt, Lisa. I'm here beca—' The Morpheus campers suddenly growl, they all shift position to get more comfortable.

Matt whispers, 'Oh… That's right. You have to be really really quiet here.' He smiles.

I look around, and whisper, 'Right… So I was thinking, would you two and your siblings like to join the game?'

'Game as in Capture The Flag with the hunters?' Lisa asks.

I nod, 'Yeah, I thought you two might be interested.'

'I'm in.' Matt quickly replies, he looks excited.

'So am I.' Lisa follows.

I was surprised by their quick reaction, 'Uhm… Thanks.'

Matt grins, 'Are you kidding me? Thank you! With all the Aphrodite's girls watching, I'll be a ladies magnet as soon as they see me become the hero that wins us the game.'

Lisa rolls her eyes, she grumbles, 'Grow up, Matt. Even if you win the game for us, they won't look twice at your stupid face.'

Matt snickers, 'Jealous already, Lisa? We're not even dating, but don't worry, you'll still be my favorite.'

Lisa punches Matt's arm, he groans. She turns back to me.

She looks proud, 'I'm in so that I can show those Ares' campers that they're not the only one who can fight. No one messes with Lisa Heidi!' She instinctively raises her voice.

The Morpheus' campers growl, one of them mumbles, 'Keep it down…'

I sigh, 'Lisa. I just hope that you won't send another camper to the nursery.' I mumble.

'What was that?' She smiles, and asks me with a soft but deadly tone in her voice.

I tenses up, 'Uhm… Nothing.' I panic a bit, and look around for an exit, 'Well, I need to go and tell the Hermes' campers. I'll see you two later!' I half-run my way out of there, I don't really want to end up in the nursery by a so-called "accident".

I make my way to the Hermes' cabin, it's less cramped that it was last year. Now that all the demigods are being acknowledged by their god parent, everybody goes to their own respective cabin. Even if they don't get claimed right away, they usually will get claimed in the next couple of days after they've arrived at the camp.

I look for the Stoll brothers, and find them grumbling about how much they hate the Ares' cabin at the corner of the cabin. Now that I get a closer look, I notice that they're covered in mud and banana's skins.

Travis Stoll is the first one to notice me, 'Hey Percy.' He greets me.

'Did the Ares' campers do this to you?' I ask.

Travis grumbles, 'Actually… Connor did this to me.'

Connor protests, 'Hey! This is your fault too!'

'What happened?'

Travis sighs, 'Well, we tried to take our revenge on the Ares' campers by setting up a trap for them. Mud kind of trap.' He starts to explain.

'It backfired, and instead it showered us with mud. After that, we started to blame each other.' Connor continues the story.

Travis scratches his head, 'We wrestled, and then we hit the trash can.'

Connor shudders, 'All those trashes, so many banana's skins…'

Travis shook it off, 'Forget it, Percy. You're here to talk about the game, aren't you?'

I nod, 'Yeah, but seeing you guys like this, will you be able to play?'

Connor brightens up, 'Duh! It's the perfect way for us to relieve the stresses that have been building up.'

Travis shrugs, 'That is if you don't get your ass kicked by the hunters.'

Connor slaps Travis in the back of his head, 'Shut up, Travis.' Travis groans. Connor then looks at something at the other corner of the cabin. 'You might want to ask the new guy to come along as well.' That's the new guy that beat Clarisse. He's sitting near the window, watching the sky and looking like he can doze off at anytime.

Travis grins, 'He'll be one heck of a trouble for the hunters, not to mention he will piss off a lot of Ares' campers.'

I sigh, 'You're right. The hunters will have trouble dealing with him.' I admit, ignoring what he said about angering the Ares' campers.

Connor shrugs, 'He doesn't talk much though, didn't even bother to tell us his name.'

I think for a moment, and then gain my resolve, 'I'll try to ask him.'

The new kid has been making me curious ever since he got here, this might be a good chance to know him better.

I approach him, and he notices me. Before I can say anything, he just stares coldly at me.

'Uhm… Hi.' I awkwardly greet him.

He doesn't say anything and just keeps staring at me.

I clear my throat, 'Right. So, I saw how you beat Clarisse, and we can really use that swordplay of yours in the game.'

He keeps silent and still just stares at me.

'So… Do you want to join our team in the game? You know, Capture The Flag.' I try to smile, but I think it becomes an awkward smile.

There's nothing but total silence in the air. This is really really awkward, I thought to myself.

'…Alright.' He replies all of the sudden. He turns his face around and starts to watch the sky again. I guess that means our discussion is over.

I walk back to Travis and Connor.

'How'd it go?' Connor asks curiously.

'I think he agreed to join us.'

Travis grumbles, 'Seriously? Well, isn't that just swell? He chats with you but not with us.'

I shrug, 'It wasn't really chatting. I did most of the talking and he only said a word.'

Connor raises his eyebrow, 'A word?'

'Yeah, and I quote from him, "Alright".' I say.

Travis laughs, 'That explains.'

All of the sudden there's a loud noise coming out of a horn, a hunting horn to be exact. I know exactly what is going on, I've heard that horn before.

The Hunters of Artemis has just arrived.


	3. Game Begins

'Percy Jackson,it has been a while...' is the first thing the goddess Artemis said to me when she saw me.

There's only Artemis,Thalia and me right now.

The rest of the Hunters and the cabin gamers are still preparing for the game.

So it's a duty for me as the team leader to greet them first hand.

'Long time no see Jackson.'Said Thalia.

'Lady Artemis,Thalia.'Greet me.

'Think you got what it takes to beat us,Jackson?'

'I wouldn't mind to kick your butt once in a while.'

'Loser team treat the winner team cheeseburgers?'

'Deal.'I agreed.

'Well,get ready to empty your wallet.'Thalia smirk to me.

'I doubted it.'

'It's good to see you all so high-spirited.'Said Chiron when he approach us.

'Chiron!!'Thalia jumped to Chiron the moment he got close to her.

'It's good to see you too,Thalia. But you might want to save that energy for the game.'

'That's okay,I can give Percy some handicap to make it more challenging to us.'

'Oh,you are so going down.'I mumbled.

'My lady Artemis.'Greet Chiron to Artemis.

'Chiron,somewhere private,may us?'

'Certainly my lady.'

Thalia got off from Chiron,and Chiron turned to us.

'I prepared a judge for you,he will be here shortly and you may begin the game once you're all ready.'

Chiron turned his back to us and Artemis walked along with Chiron back to the big house.

'Thalia!!'squealed Annabeth after she saw her.

Annabeth ran to her and hughed her with all her might.

'Annabeth!! I missed you so much.'

'So am I!'

Both of them hold each other for so long,it feels like they ignored the world.

'Can we please cut the drama?'I grumbled.

'Don't be so stingy Jackson,you get her for the rest of the camp year while I only seen her once in a while. Besides,the judge is not even here yet.'Said Thalia.

'If you're talking about me,I've been here for about three minutes ago.'

We turned around to the voice and we saw somebody who's really unexpected.

Nico di Angelo was there,and he didn't showed up often here.

'Nico?'I looked at him confused.

'Judge,for special occasion only,privilege from Chiron.'he said to me as if to answer my question.

Let me answer all this confusing question that you might wanna ask.

Yes,it's true that there's a new Hades cabin for all the children of Hades,and there's people staying there.

But Nico didn't stay there,mostly he would stay with Hades in the underworld.

Something about keeping the family together.

So yeah,seeing Nico here is very fact,seeing Nico at all is very surprising.

Annabeth let go of Thalia and turned to me.

'I'll help the others to prepare.'She said to me.

I nodded and she ran to the campers

'Hey there kid.'Greet Thalia to Nico.

'I'm not a kid!! I'm thirteen!!'

'Still a kid for me.'

'I'm beginning to think whether it's allowed for me to join Percy team and leaving the judge position to somebody else.'

'Why would you do that?You're bored from just watching from the side?'Asked Thalia.

'No,it's so that I can kick some muscle girl butt like yours.'

'"Muscle girl"?Oh,you got some guts there kid.'

'Bring it. Percy,I'm joining your team.'

'Whoa,hold it there little guy. We really need a judge,and you agreed to be the judge.'

'...Fine,I'll judge.'Nico grumbled.

'Too bad Percy,You would need all the help you can get to beat us.'Thalia smirk to me.

'We'll see.'

Thalia walked back to the Hunters while I turned around and walked to the campers

My team consist of Lisa Heidi,Matt Grey,Will Solace,Jake Mason,Evan Song(korean,son of Hades,newly appointed Hades cabin counsellor.),Pollux,the Stoll brothers,the new kid,Annabeth and me.

There's also a bunch other Apollo,Nemesis,and Morpheus campers.

The rest (and almost half of our team,about fifteen of them.) is Ares campers,Clarisse not included.

It looks like Clarisse hasn't recovered yet from her last defeat.

The Ares didn't look exactly pleased,since the new kid is also in the team.

Demeter,Aphrodite and the rest of the other cabin only get to watch.

'Well then,we only have five to ten minutes to think of a strategy. Anyone got any bright ideas?'Said Annabeth.

'Or we could just charged and pound all of them on sight!'Said Connor.

'Do you ever think before saying anything..?'Lisa blurted.

'I'm more of a pounder than a thinker.'Said Matt.

'I can't think of anything smart.'Will mumbled.

'Well,we have to think of something.. Last time we played against them,we got our butt kicked pretty hard,and Thalia is with them now.'Said Jake.

I hate to admit it,but he's right.

Last time we played against the Hunters,we lose badly,and the only thing that prevented us from having a total humiliating lost is Thalia.

But now Thalia is not on our side,and what makes it worse is that she's on their side.

We do have Annabeth now on our side,but she doesn't seems to be able to think of any strategy.

'Split up into two small offense teams,and one main defense team.'

We turned around and looked at the new kid.

He barely speaks,but somehow he just start to talk all of the sudden.

'The hunters are strong on their offense,they're fierce as the lions. Trying to fight them heads on is both stupid and idiotic. Instead,this is a game. It has rules and winning conditions,we win if we're able to grab their flag and bring it on our side.'He continued.

'We split into two offense team,it's a two pronged attack from the left and the right side. Two small teams,a three members team. They have to be swift,fast,and stealthy. The rest go with the main defence team,holding on until the offense team are able to grab the flag back.'He said while drawing some sort of a map in the ground.

'The attack will be from the left side and right side of the river,the Hunters will put some insurance of course. Four or five of them in the guard position,our goal is to take their flag before they take ours.'

'But wait,if they put that many guards,shouldn't we put more people into the offense team?'Annabeth asked.

'No,the Hunters aren't stupid. Once they figured that there's too many people that are missing from our team,they'll go back and capture our offense team. Once they get a hold of both of our offense team,we will lose the advantage of surprise and numbers.'The new kid answered.

'Even if there's only four or five of the Hunters defending their base,they won't be so easy to beat. They're fierce just as you said before.'Said Jake.

Annabeth looked like she just figured out something and turned to the new kid.

'That's exactly why we would bring only our best fighter with the offense team,so that the offense team can beat their guards fast enough before the Hunters would notice.'Annabeth said.

The new kid nodded and continued with his explanation.

'The defensive team will have to endure the Hunters attack,it won't be easy,but it's our only chance of 's a simple yet important job.'

Everybody looked at the new kid with amazement,especially Annabeth.

I didn't really like when Annabeth looked at a person like that,it reminds me of how she used to look at Luke.

'Then which area would we use as our main base?'Asked Travis to the new kid.

'...That hill would do.'He pointed to a high big hill.'The hill would be good for defense.'

'Well then,we should decide who's in the offense team.'Said Lisa.

'The best fighter would be Percy and Clarisse.'Said Jake.

'Well technically it would be the new kid and Percy,since he did beat Clarisse.'Travis blurted.

'He's right,that means both of them should be on the offense team.'Said Matt.

'The other best fighter right now would be Pollux,Matt,Lisa and me.'Said Annabeth.

'Then I'll take Annabeth and an Ares camper with me on the first offense team. Percy,you take Matt and Lisa.'The new kid ordered.

The Ares campers who heard this groan in disagree,but it doesn't seems that they have much in a choice.

Before I have the chance to protest his decision,Annabeth blurted it out first.

'Alright,let's go.'

'What about me?'Asked Pollux.

'We need at least one good fighter in the defensive team.'Annabeth replied.

'I don't like this team arrangement.'I grumbled.

'Why?'Asked Matt.

'I just don't like it.'

Jealous?Maybe. After all,Annabeth once look at the new kid with the same look she used to give Luke.

It's only once,but it's enough to make me angry for no solid reason.

But I set it aside,since Annabeth probably wouldn't give him the same look twice.

'Hey.' I called to the new kid.

He turned around and looked at me.

'It's kinda weird by calling you "the new kid".'

'...I don't mind.'He replied.

'I don't feel very comfortable by calling you with that kind of nickname.'

There's a sudden silence between us,and it doesn't look like he want to answer my question.

'...Willy.'He whispered.

'Willy..?'

'My name...'

He gave me one last glance and turned his back to me.

And at that time,I could've swore that I saw hatred in his eyes...

Everyone heard his name,but I was probably the only one who saw that hatred.

Before I have any time or chance to think about it,Nico approach me.

'You're ready?'Asked Nico.

I stared at Willy's back and answered Nico.

'Yeah.'

Nico nodded and we went to the hill and set up our formation.

Nico looked to both sides,and he blowed a horn afterwards.

'Let the game begin!!'He shouted.


	4. Brother

**_More Review please... let me know how you all think_**

**_LOL...XD_**

* * *

A two pronged attack? Sure , why not?

Separate me from my girlfriend while she was with someone who amaze her? Thank you , I'm very grateful to you.

I mumbled thousands of curse that I know while we were running through the left side of the forest.

I know that I shouldn't be bothered by that.

But the more that I think that I shouldn't be bothered , the more that I'm pissed.

I mean , what's with the team arrangement? Can't he just put me and Annabeth in the same group?

And Annabeth shouldn't just accept it like that,this is seriously making me mad.

Unconciously I curse Willy louder that Lisa and Matt can hear what I was saying.

They were nice enough to pretend that they didn't notice that , but I couldn't care less of what they heard.

We finally passed the river and slowed down our pace , since we entered the Hunters territory.

'Perrrcyy...'Called Lisa as if she were Grover.

'Yeah?'I replied half angrily with Annabeth.

'Girls hate it when boys get over-jealous.'

'... I'm not jealous.'I answered without believing a single word of it.

'Then... why are you mad?'

'I'm not mad.'I grumbled.

'Yeah , you're as calm as the storm. Of course you're not mad.'Blurted Matt.

'.... Okay , so maybe I am a little jealous!!'

'A little?'Lisa asked innocently.

'I'm burning with jealousy!! There , happy?'I admitted.

'Well , you shouldn't.'

'Yeah , you're right Lisa. Annabeth is probably having some fun with Willy , and I should just calm down and just let them have their fun.'I answered angrily.

'He got a point.'Said Matt.

'Oh shut it Matt! Percy , It's a three man team , I doubt they're gonna have any romantic moments. Beside , you're Annabeth's boyfriend , not Willy.'

'... Maybe you're right.'I calmed down a little bit.

'I know I'm right , now focus on this game. I don't want to ended up being the laughing stock of the Ares campers.'

'Yeah , although Annabeth did saw you first.'Matt blurted.

'And Willy is more handsome than Percy.'Said Lisa.

'As strong as Percy , Percy only good point.'

'Smarter than Percy , and have you seen his hair? Makes me want to sniff and put my hand all over his hair.'Said Lisa.

'Thank you... for sorting all that out. I feel a million times better.' I grumbled.

'Ups... Matt!! You idiot! You're not helping at all!'

Lisa punched Matt on the arm.

'Ow... Hey , No fair! You did it too!' Matt groaned.

'You started it.'

'Guys , stopped it! We're in the enemy's ground!' I said to calmed them down.

They listen to me and stop arguing.

'Good , now let's—'

Before I got the chance to finish,Lisa pulled me to the ground.

'Hunters.'She whisper to me.

We hide in one of the bushes , and saw a couple of hunters are on their guard.

And not only that , the flag.

We can see the flag from where we are , that means we're in the heart of the enemy's territory.

The Hunters regroup and shown their whole number.

Five of them , just as Willy said.

_This should be easy enough_... Is what I want to say.

But looking at the size of those Hunters who guard the flag , didn't exactly convinced me that this is going to be easy.

Half of them is at least two metres tall , and trust me , they look more like a Cyclops rather than a human.

They have a very mean looking face and the size of a profesional wrestler.

...Deep down in my heart I pity the defense team.

Thalia won't show any mercy to her opponents , meaning that the one that's guarding their flag is not their best Hunters.

I wonder how big is the one that Thalia brought to attack our base right now.

We carefully observed the Hunters , but we didn't exactly have much time , since the Hunters is most definitely attacking our base right now.

There's a disturbing light keep bugging my eyes and I saw at that direction.

Annabeth was giving me a signal with her dagger.

They were ready , and we could start at anytime.

Annabeth stopped her signal , and I know the next time she gave that same signal is the time we charged.

Lisa looked a bit nervous , while Matt is eagerly waiting for the moment to charged.

I pat Lisa in the back , and she seemed to have calmed down.

I watch Annabeth patiently , and a few seconds later , she gave another blinding light.

I took out Riptide from my pocket and click it , showing my celestial bronze sword.

We ran down the hill stealthily to take them by surprise.

*******

I sneak behind one of the Hunters and knocked her out.

Obviously I knocked the one who seems to be the weakest.

Even the weakest of the Hunters is trouble for us.

'FOR THE CAMPERS!!'I yelled.

We were all screaming and the Hunters was taken by surprise.

Matt was screaming something like, 'FOR A DATE!!'

Annabeth team and my team joined forces and attack the Hunters.

The strategy worked and they were defeated easily.

If they were not taken by surprise , I doubt it'll be that easy.

'It worked , now we have to bring it back quickly. I don't think our defense team will last any longer than this.' Said Annabeth.

Matt took the flag and we're running through the trees and found the river right in front of us.

_Easy Win _, is what I thought , until Matt got knocked down by some sort of branch.

He lied down on the floor and seems to have been hit pretty hard.

'A trap!!'Said Annabeth.

I saw a rope was tied to the branch , and the branch hit Matt because somebody cut the rope that's tying the branch.

It wasn't over.

The Ares camper that was with us let out a small scream as he got pulled deep to the trees.

We heard a few yell and saw a girl jumped down in the front of us.

Thalia had a smirk on her face and the Hunters are surrounding us.

'Do you really think it will be that easy , Jackson?'

'I was , at least until you knocked one of my friends down.'

Thalia put a nice smirk on her face , 'I know that there's something wrong when I saw that you and Annabeth weren't there , luckily I have a strong feeling that my base in danger.'

'It would be nice if you just ignored that.'I replied.

Thalia smiled , 'Give it up , Jackson. This is only a small part of the whole team , the others are busy over-running your base.'

Even the small part of their team is enough to outnumbered us.

There's six of them and four of us.

We move closely to each other as the Hunters approach us slowly.

The Hunters flag are right behind us , and I could hear a horn was blown in the direction of our base.

That means that the Hunters have capture our flag , and we only have a few minutes before the Hunters bring our flag back to their base and we would lose this game.

'What now?'I asked.

'Technically... We win if we get their flag across the river.'Said Willy.

'I doubt they're gonna let us do that.'Said Lisa.

Annabeth seems to have an idea , and she spoke to us: 'Who said that we need their permission?'

All of us smiled as if we get the idea of what Annabeth trying to say.

Then after that evil smile , Lisa,Willy,and I ran to the Hunters while Annabeth grab the flag.

When Annabeth said that I have a seaweed brain , I was wondering , what if she's right?

I mean , I just did the dumbest thing.

That is... charging to Thalia , probably the Hunters best fighter.

Thalia gave me a smirk as if she was intrigued by the idea of me attacking her.

She won against Luke the best swordman in the camp , but Luke wasn't at his best condition at that time , and my swordplay is definitely not inferior than Luke.

I swing Riptide to her right as hard as I could.

Thalia unsheathe her long dagger and parried my Riptide with her Aegis.

Then she kicked me in the stomach and I rolled around.

'That's the best you got Jackson?'Challenge her.

I looked around and saw that Willy already knocked down one of the Hunters.

He took the initiative by striking first , and keeping busy the other Hunter.

Lisa looked a bit troubled by the Hunter skill and looked like she was having a hard time.

Annabeth is trying to find an opening for her to run across the river , unfortunately one of the Hunters didn't want to let Annabeth out of her sight.

I turned around to Thalia , and she didn't seem to mind taking her time.

Of course!! The longer this drag , the closer the Hunters to victory.

I let out a small yell and charge to Thalia.

I swing Riptide to her right again , she parried it with Aegis , but I know that would happen.

I spin as quickly as possible and gave her an elbow on her stomach.

She stumbled and I didn't let go of her , don't waste any chance is something you learn when you're fighting Thalia.

I tried to twist her right hand that is holding her dagger , but she backfliped and stomp me on the face.

I pulled backward holding my face in agony , and when I looked at her again , she already jumped and gave me a flying kick on my chest.

I fall and tried to get back up , but she quickly pinned me on the floor and the tip of her dagger is on my throat.

'End of the game Jackson..'She take a slow breath and smirk.

I turned my attention to Annabeth and gave Thalia an evil smile.

She didn't notice that Lisa knocked a Hunter down and keeping busy the Hunter that is guarding Annabeth.

It should've been over , but the Hunter that Willy knocked down got up , and scream at Annabeth.

Thalia finally notice and she stood up , running , trying to chase Annabeth.

'DON'T LET HER GET AWAY WITH THE FLAG!!' Thalia screamed.

As if the Hunters answer Thalia's calling , two of the Hunters jumped in front of Annabeth , blocking her path.

Thalia relaxed a bit and let her guard down.

I didn't waste this chance , I quickly get back up and hit Thalia in the back with the hilt of my sword pretty hard.

She got knocked out and I ran to Annabeth , helping her to get past through the Hunters.

They're good , but I've faced more formidable opponents.

One of them got stumbled , and I hit her pretty hard that she fell down unconcious.

Only one more Hunter to go and Victory is starting to shine upon us , until the Hunter that Willy knocked join our fight.

One more Hunter shouldn't be that hard , but another one showed up from the trees.

And this one is the biggest Hunter I have ever seen in my life.

To make it worse , I heard Thalia screaming , 'JACKSON!!'

Uh-oh... Didn't sound like she's calling me to give me some new year's present.

I looked at Willy and Lisa direction , they knocked down their opponent and quickly ran to us.

Thalia is still holding the back of her head , a minute at the most before she recovered.

The Hunters surrounded us , and the fight was dragged to the river.

Now the river is about two metres and a half in width , and the game is not over until the flag is across the river.

Meaning that on the river is not counted.

We're wet , and moving is harder in the river.

Not for me though , I'm the son of Poseidon.

Being able to walk freely and get stronger in the water is a privilege for being the son of Poseidon.

While the Hunters are trying to get used being in the water , I fight them there.

I was winning , but they're starting to get used to it and it WAS three against one.

Annabeth can't move until I moved , since the Hunters would chase after her the moment she move.

They tripped my Riptide and it's bouncing pretty far from me.

The giant Hunter literally picked me up like some toy and throw me three feet away from her.

That leaves Annabeth unguarded.

Willy tried to protect Annabeth , but he got quickly thrown by the giant Hunter to my place.

He fell next to me pretty hard , and even though he got back up , he looked tired.

The Hunters are approaching Annabeth closer , and I could see all of the other Hunters are back and they're running toward us while holding our flag.

Defeat seems certain but Annabeth smile and throw the flag to behind them.

'CATCH LISA!!'Yelled Annabeth.

Lisa was there and she got the flag

The Hunter panicked for a few seconds and they quickly chase after Lisa.

They'll catch Lisa for sure , and I can't allow that to happen.

I concentrate deeply , imagining the river raising above my head.

I can feel the all the water... Hundreds gallons of water swarming above my head circling in order.

_Desperate time called for desperate measure._

I feel it and almost blast it off to the Hunters , but the sound of *BRAK* startled me.

I realised that I slowly losing control of the water above my head , and I saw Thalia tackled me.

'Not today Jackson!!'She said as she tackled me.

I and Thalia fell down , drenched in water.

Thalia look relieved for a moment , but the swirling of the water above us didn't stop.

Thalia look at me , turned to the water , and turned to me again.

She looks just as confused as I am.

But she ran out of time for thinking.

The hundreds gallons of water I gathered , burst like a hurricane , hitting Thalia and the Hunters.

Thalia and all of the Hunters in the river are washed down by the river.

They can't stand up anymore , they're too tired and out of breath.

Then the water slowly coming back to me... is what I thought.

But I can feel the water passed me and gathering in a circle.

Someone else was controlling the water.

I turned my back and saw the water forming some sort of waterfall that is circling a person.

I stared at the water , confused.

Then another burst came from the water , targetting the Hunter that is carrying our flag and attempting to cross the river.

The Hunter got knocked down ten feet behind her.

Lisa passed the river and we have won the game.

But that's not where we paid our attention.

We paid our attention to the waterfall , as it slowly returning to the river.

I saw Willy was playing with the water , as if he was dancing with the river.

Then he burst back the water , returning all of them to the river.

It doesn't end there , we saw something that is even more spectacular than that.

The explanation of what he was capable of doing.

A green hologram showed up above his head , in a shape of a spear , a Trident.

Spinning and gleaming , as it slowly dissapear.

But we all saw it , and my world seems suddenly upside down.

I stared at him with disbelief , even Annabeth look just as surprised as I am.

I felt a moment of betrayal by my father , as if his Trident stab my heart.

Willy looked back at me and he chuckled.

He's the son of The God of the Sea , Son of Poseidon....

'What's wrong... Brother?'He said while laughing.


	5. Is My Life Going To Be Full Of Bad News?

**_Hey guys , for those of you who think Willy is a gary-stu kind of character._**

**_I'm sorry , I never intended to make him like that._**

**_Personally I don't really think he's perfect._**

**_And sorry it took me so long to update , since there isn't really many people who's reading this , I put this story as a second priority._**

**_So I decided to update it in two weeks time everytime , the fastest is a week._**

**_Since there's so few people reading this anyway._**

**_But nevertheless , enjoy!!_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

I hate my life.

I hate myself , I hate my father , and I don't know why , but I hate Willy.

Both of us are sitting in the dinner table , being watched by the whole camp.

After the game , he didn't say much. In fact , he didn't say anything at all.

Despite the fact he moved to my cabin , I feel like there's a huge wall that is standing between us.

He doesn't talk to me , and the only thing he did with me is just looked at me with somewhat bored expression.

I'll have to thank my father for giving me such a lovely and cheerful brother.

I'm mad at myself , because I hate my father and my half-brother who clearly didn't do anything bad to me.

I'm mad at my father because I felt that I was being betrayed by him.

Even though I know the gods always did this , fall in love with mortal and made an offspring , what I mean.

But since Willy is seventeen years old(he finally told Chiron how old is he.) , that would mean that my father has break his pact to not having any children anymore , twice.

The rest of us are surprised , more surprised at the fact that miraculously he had never been found by any satyrs nor by Luke or Kronos army.

Since he's the son of Poseidon , he should have a much more stronger scent that attracted monsters and satyrs than the rest of the demi god.

I'm made at Willy because... Well , I didn't really have any reason to hate him. I just did.

I watched him eating his food slowly.

I don't have an appetite , so I just stared at him the whole evening.

He didn't notice , rather , he probably didn't care at all.

The Hunters joined us at the dinner table , since Artemis haven't finish whatever business he had with Chiron.

I watch Willy finished his meal and quickly left without bothering to say a simple goodbye.

Charming... Real charming... NOT.

I sighed and turned my attention to Annabeth.

Surprisingly , she has been staring at me the whole time(don't asked how I know that , I just know.).

She gave me a signal to follow her , I nod and she left the dinner table.

I followed her to the woods where Thalia is standing in front the rock used to be the entrace to Daedalus Labyrinth.

'What took you guys so long?'asked Thalia.

'Sorry , we were trying to leave unnoticed.'answer Annabeth.

'Something wrong?'I asked.

'Annabeth said that she eavesdrop the conversation between Chiron and Artemis , she said that it's something important and she had to tell us.'

'Ahem... I didn't eavesdrop , I simply just overhear their conversation by an accident.'

'Yeah , sure. So what's the big news?'Asked me impatiently.

'It's something dangerous , Percy. No wonder we never seen Dionysus ever since the start of this year camp.'

Now that you mention it , Mr.D has been missing since the start of the camp.

I didn't hear his annoying blabbering anymore and his mistakes about our name.

In fact , I never seen him nor heard him since the start of the year.

'You just realised that Mr.D has been missing now , aren't you?'Said Annabeth.

'Yeah , It's been a wonder that the camp is so peaceful. And what's the news?'

'...It's about the Primordial gods.'

'Primo-what-gods?'I didn't hear that clearly , but the looks on Annabeth face makes me want to take this way more seriously. Even though I did take this seriously.

'Primordial gods. I didn't hear about the entire conversation , but it's urgent and—'

'Wait , did you just say the Primordial gods?'Asked Thalia with an "Please don't say yes." Kind of expression.

'Yes! And they're—'

'Wait! What in the gods name is the Primordial gods?' I interrupted.

'Why don't you ask us?'Said a girl's voice behind us.

We turned our back and saw Artemis with a smiling face , but the kind of face principal makes when you made him mad.

The principal smiled , but he'll punish you badly in the end.

That's the kind of smile Artemis is making.

'Uh-oh... Busted.' Said Thalia.

Annabeth and I nodded in agreement.

************

******************

We were brought to the big house.

Chiron was standing there with a bit of anger in his face.

But Chiron aren't really suited with anger in his face.

Ten minutes after he saw us , he just sighed and return to his worried expression.

'Honestly , what am I gonna do to you three. Especially you Annabeth.' Said Chiron.

'It doesn't really matter now , Chiron. Sooner or later we would have to tell them.' Said Artemis.

'I did not expect it would be this soon.'

'So did I , but luckily the first one to discover it is the bravest among them all.'

Did Artemis just praised us? I think she did , cause Thalia and Annabeth is blushing.

'Er... So what's the Primordial gods?'I asked.

Chiron stared at me and sighed , like he didn't want to tell me but he had no choice.

'The oldest of the old.'He answered.

'...meaning?'

'That means they're some of them are older than the titans , and the rest of them is as old as the titans. They are also known as the Primordial deities.' Annabeth answered.

'Yes , thank you for the explanation my child.' Said Chiron.

'Don't mention it.'

'They're the element and the gods that exist since Chaos made Ouranos and Gaia. They are the parents of the titans , and grandparents of the gods. Erebus the Primeval darkness , Aether the sky god , Pontus the sea god and the god of earthquakes , Hemera the Primordial goddess of daytime , and Gaia , mother earth. All of them are starting to woke up and moving without any explanation.' Explained Chiron.

'Err... Is that bad?' I asked innocently.

'In a way , yes , it's very...very... bad. And that's all the deities we know that has been awake , maybe more of them are awake right now.' Answered Chiron.

'Percy , some of them are even older than Kronos. Even the gods didn't dare to go against them.' Explained Annabeth.

'Okay , that can't be true , since we now have the gods that is replacing all the other gods you just mention.'

The gods are really powerful and can smitten anyone easily , there's no way that they wouldn't dare to go against someone.

Chiron said that Pontus was the sea god , but since Poseidon is the sea god right now , that means that they have defeated them once.

'Percy , the Primordial deities gave up their throne to the titans because they went to hibernation. The gods take all of their position from the titans. The Primordial deities just went to sleep after they gave their throne.'

'Err... That can't be true , right?' I asked with full of hope to Chiron.

'I'm afraid , Annabeth speaks the truth. Or else we wouldn't have any god of sleep right now.' He answered , crushing my small ray of hope.

'But they only started to move , right? There's no prove that they would do something bad.' Said Thalia.

'Yes , but the fact that for more than two thousands year they have been asleep and started to awake just suddenly like that had proven that there is something going on.' Said Artemis.

'Maybe they were bored and want to take a stroll around the world.' I said.

'We could offer them a tour guide and a box of ice cream.' Continued Thalia.

Annabeth glared at the both of us and her glare was saying something like "Can you two take this more seriously?".

'Sorry , couldn't help it.'I apologize.

'Yeah , me too.'Said Thalia.

'What could makes the Primordial deities move anyway?'Asked Annabeth ignoring us.

'We haven't found out for sure , but there's two explanation.'Answered Artemis.

'And that is...?'I asked.

'One , they want to change something in this world and decided to woke up. This happen before , but there's only one or two of them that woke up. For this many of them , is something that never happen before.'

'What about number two , my lady?'

I could see Thalia is very curious about it , you could see her usually pay so many respect to Artemis , but this time it's like she told Artemis to hurry up and explain it quickly.

Artemis didn't seem to mind , she continued to explain.

'Two , Mother Gaia summoned them and ordered them to wake up. She's gathering all of the Primordial deities for something.'

'Number two... Can't be good... Right?'

'I'm afraid both of them can be bad. If it's number one , then that would mean the world is in need for an extreme makeover , since there's so many of them that are awake. That could also mean the cleansing of this world from human kind. If it's number two... let's just hope that they're not up to no good. Either way , it can be bad.' Answered Artemis.

'We won't do anything at all? We're just gonna wait for something that can probably be our demise?' I asked furiously.

'That's the only option you have , but worry not. Father Zeus is in his way to meet great grandmother Gaia.' Answered Artemis.

'I really could use some good news , I've heard enough bad news for today.' I grumbled.

'Is the fact that you have a brother now did not cheered you?' Asked Chiron confused.

'... Just a bit.' I lied.

'A brother..?' Asked Artemis curiously.

'Ah... Yes my lady. There's one other thing that I have to tell you.' Said Chiron.'Percy , Annabeth , Thalia , get some rest. You're gonna need it after today.'

We all nodded , too tired to say no , and had enough bad news in one day.

I'm sure Annabeth and Thalia think the same like I do.

Artemis said that they haven't make sure that it's a bad news , but during all my life in the camp , news like this would always turn bad in the end.

_Lets just hope that this one wouldn't turn bad in the end _, I thought with only a bit of hope in it.

Annabeth , Thalia , and I part ways and returned to our cabin.

I entered my cabin and didn't saw Willy anywhere.

I'm tired , quickly hop to my bed. The thing is... I couldn't sleep.

I tried to sleep and starting to roll left and right , but it didn't do any good and I'm still awake.

I decided to take a stroll outside.

******

***********

As I stepped out of my cabin , I watched the full moon.

It's beautiful , and the perfect place to enjoy it is the beach.

Full moon and the beach always calmed me down.

As I walked to the beach , I notice two shadowy figure.

I slowed down and went to hide before they notice.

I'm still in the woods but a bit far from them.

I could see them clearly and I know one of them.

Willy was there , and he's talking to a man in his thirties with a brown beard.

The man was wearing a Hawaii t-shirt and a short blue boxer with sandals.

I'm pretty sure I never seen him before , so he shouldn't even be able to enter the camp.

I couldn't hear their conversation , but I can saw Willy expression while he was talking.

He was a bit annoyed and spouting something with a cold face.

I decided to get closer , my curiosity is pushing me to eavesdrop their conversation.

'Can you hear anything?' Asked a girl's voice from behind.

'No , but if I could get closer I could probably—' I turned my back and saw a girl squatting behind me.

I almost scream my heart out , fortunately she covered my mouth with her hand and give me a _Ssst!_ Sign.

'They'll notice if you scream.' She smiled.

I calmed myself down and she let go of her hand.

I never seen her before , and I couldn't get a clear look of her face.

The cloud is shading the moon and the wood is dark enough to do the rest of the job.

But I can tell that she's somewhat around the same age as me , probably a bit older.

Maybe she's one of the new camper , I just got to the camp for a few days after all.

She stood up , 'Eavesdropping is not good you know.' She giggled.

I sighed , 'Well , what about you?'

'Me..? I'm here to stop you.'

'Stop me..? From what?'

She giggled , 'You're Percy Jackson , aren't you?'

'Err... Yeah , and you are..?'

She gave me a big round smile , and then she giggled again.

At that time the cloud passes by the moon and the moon was shining brightly.

I could see her face clearly now , and it scares me big time.

'We'll meet again , Percy Jackson.'

A dreadful feeling hit me the moment she said it , as I take a clear look in her eyes.

Suddenly as if the whole darkness of the woods surround me and I can't see anything except the darkness.

As if I was blind , but I could hear her giggles , echoing through my ears.

She did something and by the time the darkness cleared up , she's gone.

I turned to the beach , Willy and the man wasn't there anymore.

I'm confused like I have never been before.

What makes it terrifying is the girl's eyes.

It's dark , pure black like I have never seen before.

There's no pupil or whatsoever , just pure black as if her eyes has been engulf by the darkness of the night sky...


	6. Confused

**_Yes , two weeks has passed. *sigh* Time sure flew so fast._**

**_Oh yeah , For those of you who think I'm making Percy like some weak hero who can't do anything and always losing to anyone. I'm sorry._**

**_Truthfully is , Percy is strong (I clearly wrote that he is the best fighter IN the camp.)_**

**_Sadly as you all known , Thalia had more experience since she's a hunter._**

**_Automatically she always get the action 24/7 (if you know what I mean.)_**

**_Of course , Percy would have kick all of those Hunters butt , but Thalia didn't give him the chance to._**

**_The point is , I didn't make Percy weak. Percy is also one of my favorite character , so don't worry. You'll be surprised of what he can do in the future._**

**_Anyway , I had a great Golden week last week , which some of you may find it irrelevant , just want to tell you :P_**

**_Mid year exam is coming up , who likes to study and do exam raise your hand! No one? Figures._**

**_Okay enough chit-chatting and enjoy this chapter._**

**_P.S: Don't expect much from this chapter , but I have to write it to make sense about everything I'm about to write in the future._**

* * *

I was alone in that darkness...

There was no one else but me... Alone and lost...

I keep running through the pitch black darkness...

But no matter how long I keep running , darkness is still the only thing that I could see...

When I saw a glimpse of light , I didn't hesitate.

As I step into the light , I was in a scenery...

A green grassland with lots of beautiful flowers.

Hundreds of green tree standing there as far as I could see.

A river flow quietly there in the grassland.

It's almost as beautiful as Calypso garden.

I turn my attention to a tree when I heard someone laughter.

I approach them and saw someone who's really unexpected.

My father... Poseidon , he was sitting there and he was not alone , with a woman.

The woman was young and pretty , she look so bright and cheerful.

She had a pair of beautiful eyes , as blue as the deepest ocean.

It feels that if you take a longer look at those eyes , you can really hear the sound of the waves of the ocean.

Those eyes feels very familiar , I think I saw a pair of those eyes before.

Before I had the chance to think , a boy runs through me , literally.

He ran through me like I was some kind of ghost that can't be seen nor touch by them.

Well , that has to be the case , or else my father would have called my name already.

They look really happy , like those painting of a happy family in the children's book .

That was the first time I felt that my father was human.

The expression he gave , and the way he laugh... I never seen them before.

The only word to describe it was... Human... My father was acting like a human there.

I realised now that the little boy was a demigod... And the woman was one of my father many wives.

I walked to them , closing my distance.

And when I was right beside my father , the scenery and everything else are starting to fade away.

The scenery is changing , and now I saw something different.

Now is just horrific and sadistic , I was in somewhat a battlefield.

I walked in the middle of the battlefield , but all I could see is just endless road.

Until finally , I saw someone standing a bit far from me.

I closed by and saw a boy with a sword in his hand , and it's not just that.

His back was showed to me and the sword was bloody... And there's countless corps : merman , monsters , demigod , right behind the boy.

The merman looks like those in my father's castle in the ocean.

The boy turn around and stared at me.

I couldn't see his face , but I saw his eyes.

Cold and horrifying... And the blood-covered armor he wore make his expression become more terrifying.

It paralyze me , and my feet won't listen to what I said.

I want to ask him many things , but the words just won't come out from my lips.

He approach me slowly , I gulped.

When he was about three feet away from me , the scenery change once again.

This time I was in a room.

It was well-made and everything was made out of wood.

The furniture , floor , wall , ceiling , and even the lamp.

There's a potrait of a person that looks like George Washington , only that he have two horns , white beard , and wearing a really funny green dress.

'Perrrrcy!' Shout someone.

I turned around and saw Grover wearing his green pajama.

'Grover!' I replied.

So it change to the empathy link.

'Perrrcy!! I miss you!!' Said Grover.

'I miss you too , bud. Too bad we can't touch each other , otherwise I would have given you a hug.' I said while smiling.

Grover smiled but he look a bit sad.

Not only that , he looks really tired , like he didn't sleep for the past three days.

'Something wrong?' I asked.

'Everything is wrong , Percy.' Replied Grover.

'What happen?'

'..Our song lose it's magic , and the flower stop growing. It's as if the earth has stopped listening to us.'

'Wait.. What? How could that happen?'

'I don't know , Percy. We're starting to lose our passion to music , and the flowers and the dryads are dying. The wild is in a disarray , and everybody is expecting me to do something... I just don't know what is happening anymore , Percy...'

Grover looks really sad and could cry at anytime.

The earth... Gaia , the mother earth.

Maybe it has something to do with the Primordial gods.

But telling Grover won't help him , probably only make it worse since nobody can do anything.

'Cheer up , you'll figure something out eventually , you always do.' I said trying to cheer him up instead.

He smiled , 'Thanks Percy , talking with you always calmed me down.'

I smiled back at him.

Grover open his mouth and ready to say something , but there's a disturbance.

Everything is starting to fade away , and I could only hear Grover's voice like some broken radio.

'... Disturbance... On... Link...' Said Grover.

Only some made through me.

'Don't... Visit... Soon.' Said Grover again.

Is he trying to say 'Don't worry , I'll visit you soon.'?

The empathy link ended there , and I opened my eyes.

My cabin...

I rise and look around , Willy isn't there.

Then again , he's never here unless it's bedtime.

I exit my cabin , and I found Willy.

It looks like he just woke up and going somewhere.

'Hey.. Willy.' I called him.

He stopped and just turned his head to me but only a bit.

His doing is like saying 'What? I don't have time to meddle with you.'.

He didn't say it , but I'm sure he wants to.

He stared at me with an uninterested look , which I find annoying , knowing that it's coming from your half-brother.

'You know... We just never really had the chance to know more about each other.' I said.

'...Percy.' He called me.

'Err.. Yes?' I answered awkwardly.

'You don't want to know more about me , trust me. The things you know about me is more than enough.'

'But I don't know anything about you.'

'Exactly my point.' He answered satisfiedly.

I sighed , '..Forget it then.'

'Cheer up , brother. I'm sure you'll find your girlfriend audience is better than mine.' He said , smiling sinistercally.

He walked off from me , but I'm not intending to let him out of my sight.

Not after the incident a couple of nights ago.

I saw Willy was arguing with an old guy , who's clearly not supposed to be in the camp.

I asked Chiron about it , and Chiron didn't knew anything about it.

I decided not to let Chiron hear anymore information about it , I want to figure it out myself.

'Wait up!' I said.

He stopped and look at me with an uninterested face again , 'What now?'

'I... Just want to know when is the last time... You met father?'

That is the best excuse-question I can think of.

Kinda idiotic , I know.

But I got a weird reaction from Willy.

He look a bit surprised and quickly turned his head around.

'... I don't remember.. And I don't want to talk about it.' He answered.

'Huh? Why?'I asked innocently.

He turned his face to me , and I was stunned.

A cold and horrifying expression , as if the eyes of a dragon is staring at me....

Correction , I don't think even the expression of a dragon is as cold as this...

This one truly makes me paralyze and scared.

My legs are trembling , and I don't think I have ever felt fear like this before in my life.

A cold sweat and I felt so weak in front of him.

'I said... I don't want to talk about it... Brother.' He said angrily.

He walked off and treated me as an uninterested being once more.

It's annoying , but I think it's better than being stared by his dragon-like-eyes.

At that moment I realised something.

The woman that was with my father , and the boy that was in my dream... They both have the same eyes.

The same colour and shape... The only difference is the expression.

Another shocking thing is... Willy eyes is the same with them...

Either Willy have a connection with the woman and the boy in my dream...

Or Willy IS the boy... And the woman is his mother...

The only question is... If it's true , then why do I have that dream?


	7. Answers

The training ground in the morning is the best place if you need some time alone.

Most of the time , there's no one here in the morning.

I was sitting there alone quietly , doing nothing and thinking nothing.

It has been almost a month since the camp started , and I just can't stop thinking about everything.

About Willy , my dad , the Primordial gods , the dream that I had.

I probably shouldn't be thinking so much about everything that's happening.

I just can't get rid of the feeling that I hate all the stuff that has been happening around me.

"Percy?"

I turned around and found Evan holding a wooden sword.

"Evan? What are you doing here?"

"Morning training , what about you? It's a rare sight to see anyone in this time of the hour."

"Right back at you , never seen anyone doing morning practice."

For those of you who can't remember who Evan is , he's one of Hades son.

His full name is Evan Song , and yes , he's korean.

He got a bit of a funny accent , that only those asian can have it.

"Well , if I ever want to get a quest , I got to polish my skill."

"Heh , trust me , an actual quest is not as fun as it sound."

"I know , but I want to make my father proud."

"Well... Good luck doing that."

Evan smiled , "Why the long face , Percy?"

"Nothing... Just have a lot in my mind."

"You should be happy , we won the game against the Hunters."

"I know , I just—

"I mean the way you and Willy work together. It's really awesome. I mean for all the long years I've known Willy , I never thought he could be that good. I knew he was a demi god , just never thought that he would be the son of Poseidon."

I raised an eyebrow.

"All the long years?"

"Yeah , Willy and I knew each other even before we got recruited to the camp. We knew each other for a really long time. Still , even all those years didn't change his habit of not liking to talk."He explained.

"So you're Willy's childhood friend?"

"Well , if you put it in a way , yes. But we weren't exactly close , since he never bothered to get close to anyone. Mostly he just shut himself from the world. I wouldn't blame him though , ever since that incident with his mother."

So Evan and Willy knew each other even before they joined the camp?

That's completely new to me. Then again , everything is.

"What happened to his mother?" I asked curiously.

"...That's probably not my place to say. You should asked him yourself , you're his brother after all. Besides , I don't know the full detail about the incident anyway."

Easy for him to say , I doubt he'll share that kind of story with me.

In fact , I don't think he'll share any stories with me at all.

"I doubt I can asked him about it , but thanks anyway."

"You're welcome Percy. Now I have to get back to my cabin , I promised my brothers that I'll do the chores today."

"Alright , see you later." I said.

He nodded , and walked away from the training ground.

So Willy and Evan are childhood friend.

Something happened to Willy's mother , that caused him to be like... This (according to Evan of course.).

Oh great , now I'm more curious about it.

All the more mysteries that I shouldn't be bothered myself to solved it.

This curiousity is killing me.

"Why the long face , Seaweed Brain?"

I looked to my back and found Annabeth crouching right behind me.

"Just had a lot in my mind."

"Please don't tell me it's about your brother." She pleaded.

"Half-brother." I corrected her.

"So It IS about Willy. Percy , you really need to stop thinking negative stuff about him."

"I'm not."

"You wouldn't be sulking like this if you're not."

"...I just..."

"You can't forgive your dad , you're angry with him. I know. But that's not a reason to be angry with your brother."

"Half-brother." I said annoyed.

"..You're sulking again."

"..I know... I'm sorry." I said apologetically

"Take a walk at the beach , think about what I've said and cool yourself down." She gave me a quick kiss , and walked away from me.

_**a-****-**_

I stroll around the beach , walking around doing nothing but thinking.

I thought much about what Annabeth said , and I calmed myself down.

Willy did nothing wrong to me , and like Annabeth said , I should really stop thinking bad stuff about him.

He is my half-brother after all.

I pick up a couple of stones and start to throw them into the sea.

"You're upset about something?"

I turned to me left side , and the very person I want to meet right now is standing there.

Poseidon , my father , he's there wearing a hawai t-shirt and a short blue pant with a pair of slippers.

"D-Dad... What are you—

"Something told me that you want to speak with me... I have something to tell you too."

"...Yeah."

"What is it?"

"It's about my half-brother , Willy." I said.

My father didn't look surprised , nor did he talk.

"... So you broke your oath twice."

"No , Percy. You're mistaken."

"..What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Willy... He was an exceptional case. He wasn't even supposed to be here."

I stared at my father with confusion in my eyes.

"I was as surprised as you when I know he was here , I thought he was dead."

"That didn't explained why he's here , or why you didn't tell me about him!" I said angrily.

My dad didn't speak a word , he just gaze at the sea.

".. I know that you're angry." He said.

"I'm not!" I replied.

"But you must know that—

_**Hooonkk!**_ A sound of a horn interrupted my father.

"... I must go now." He said.

"What? But we're not finished , I still have a lot to asked." I protested

"I know , my son. But Pontus requested my audience. I must meet him."

"Pontus?"

"I believe Artemis already told you about the Primordial gods. Pontus is the Primordial being of the sea , and now he wants to see me."

Before I could say anything else , a blinding light surrounded my father.

And at that quick moment , he dissapeared.

Oh great , I couldn't even get one clear answered from my dad.

I'm annoyed and there's nothing I could do about it.

I turned around from the beach and walk back to the camp.

_**a-****-**_

"Feeling better?" Asked Annabeth.

Annabeth and I were sitting at the dining table.

"More or less , I met my dad at the beach." I replied.

"What! What happen?" She asked.

I told her everything , but it's not much.

My dad really didn't tell me anything at all , just more riddles without answers.

"I bet you're thinking that your dad only gave you more question than answers."

I raised an eyebrow , "You really need to stop that , it gives me the chill."

"Stop what?" She asked innocently.

"Guessing of what I had in mind , and on top of that , being right of guessing of what I had in mind."

"You're just too easy to predict , Seaweed Brain." She smiled.

I couldn't help but to smile too , Annabeth really knows how to make me smile.

What she had to do is smile , and unconciously , I'll smile too.

I watched a few campers went to their tables.

Hades campers , Evan and his brothers.

The name Hades hit me in the head , now I have a question about them.

"Hey , Annabeth."

"Yeah?"

"Evan and his brothers , they're the child of Hades , right?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes , "Of course they are , Seaweed Brain."

"Evan is 16 , and his brothers is 13-15."

"Your point?"

"Then... Then doesn't that mean that Hades broke the oath when he had them?"

"You mean you didn't know?"

I shook my head in confusion.

"Apparently , Nico and Bianca di Angelo isn't the only child that Hades hide in the casino."

I was shocked , "You mean.."

"Yeah , Hades hides all his child in the casino in vegas. Hades only let Nico and Bianca out and he decided to keep hiding the rest of his children."

"So Evan and his brothers..."

"Born before World War II , yes." She continued.

Evan and his brothers were born before World War II.

Then that doesn't make any sense.

"Percy?" Called Annabeth.

"I-Im sorry , Annabeth. I need some time to think."

I rise from my seat and ran to the woods.

"Percy!"

When I was deep inside the woods , I stopped and lean against a tree.

Evan said that Willy is his childhood friend , and if Evan is born before World War II , Willy can't be his childhood friend.

Willy is still 17 years old , and he's not a god ,so he's not immortal.

It's impossible for him to become Evan childhood's friend.

Then again , Evan might mistaken Willy for the wrong person.

But that doesn't seems to be the case , Evan got the name , and the attitude right.

Everything doesn't make sense.

If Willy is Evan childhood friend , he should be 60 right now.

Unless... Willy isn't Willy.

My father said to me that Willy shouldn't even be here , that he thought Willy is dead.

It's starting to link together , the bad feeling I had about him , Evan stories , my father.

I was deep in my thought when I saw someone has been staring at me for quite some time.

A girl , in a bright yellow shirt.

She had a bright golden hair tied up in a pony tail.

With long jeans , and a pair of heels.

She looked young , in her early 20 years but she had the immortal kind of face , so it's a bit hard to tell how old she really is.

"You're still a bit faraway from the truth." She whispered with a gentle voice.

I was surprised when she whispered behind me.

I take a step forward and tripped.

I stared at her eyes , and it shocked me greatly.

It was shining brightly , with yellowly glow like a shining gold.

She stared at me with a cold icy look , as if I was some kind of a bug that she could easily kill.

I gulped , as she approach me slowly.

"How sad... Percy Jackson. For you not to realised the truth."

As soon as she finished saying that , she started to glow.

It was so bright that I couldn't open my eyes.

By the time , it was finished , she was gone.

I lied down in the woods , taking my breath away.

_Oh great , another mystery._

I lied down closing my eyes , without realising that there's someone watching me from the shadow.


	8. In Search For The Truth

It has been three days since I followed Willy.

I know what you all wanna ask , and the answer is yes , I've been stalking Willy in the past few days.

From Evan story , I know now that Willy is probably not human.

He's probably a monster that can transform into a human.

Well , it's true that he shouldn't even be able to get through the camp's barrier.

And then there's a couple of girls that leave me a weird message , both of them.

Well , can't solved all of them at once , might as well begin one by one.

Willy did nothing suspicious , he just stroll around the camp and do nothing else.

He always stay in human form , he can fool everyone but not me.

He's good , but I want to know what is his purpose of coming here.

Finally on the evening , he return to the cabin , just like in the past few days.

I enter the cabin , and when I look around , he wasn't there.

When the door close , I felt a presence behind me.

It was too late , someone grab me and pin me to the floor.

I groan in pain , and saw Willy at the top of me.

His right hand is choking my neck as I lie down defenseless.

If he want to eat me , now would be the perfect chance.

'Why are you following me , Brother?' Asked him.

'Hooksss... - No - reason?' I choked.

He released me and I quickly get back up , afraid that he might open his monster mouth and chew me to death.

'So... For absolutely no reason , you have been following me in the past three days? '

'Well... Yeah. We're brothers , so I just thought that I should know what you're doing everyday. '

_ Me and my poor excuses._

Willy stared at me with disbelief , but then he looks like he just stop caring and went outside.

As soonest as Willy left , I went outside and Willy is gone.

_That was really fast._

I went back into my cabin , as I jumped to my bed , someone knocked my door.

I stood up , and opened the door.

Two girls came in , Thalia and Annabeth.

'You're still here? ' I asked Thalia.

'Apparently , Lady Artemis audience is being requested by Olympus. So we got to stay longer. '

'You don't look so good. ' Said Annabeth.

'Yeah , my good brother choked me. ' I said.

'Willy choked you? So I wasn't the only one with the thought. ' Said Thalia.

Both Annabeth and I raised an eyebrow.

'You are kinda annoying sometimes. ' Thalia shrugged.

'What did you do? ' Asked Annabeth.

'Long story. '

Someone knocked my door again , and I opened it again.

The only thing I heard is , 'Percy! ' , and then someone hugged me really tight.

I stumbled a bit , but she was a girl in a simple white dress.

'I miss you so much!. '

The girl let go of her hugging , and I can saw her face.

And I was really shocked since I recognise that beautiful face anywhere.

'Calypso..! ' I asked surprised.

Calypso smiled , and her smile can lit the moon on fire because of her beauty.

At the same time , I felt a chill down on my spine.

Annabeth , she's emitting the same cold aura that her mother , Athena , has.

Trust me that you will feel really cold when this happens.

_Uh-oh , Annabeth is NOT gonna be happy about this._

I could hear Thalia whispered to herself , 'Busted. '

_Well , this is awkward._ I thought as I sat there with Annabeth , Thalia , and Calypso.

Calypso smile is as radiating as ever , and Annabeth would definitely want to know what she's doing here.

Thalia looks like she was having fun , watching me in boiling water.

Calypso just smiled , and Annabeth glared at me from times to times.

This is beyond awkward since no one is speaking at all.

'So... Where did you meet Percy? '

_Uh-oh , bad question Thalia._

'Percy landed on Ogygia before , I met him there. ' Answered Calypso.

'You're the Goddess Calypso? Atlas daughter who were banished into exile by the gods for supporting the Titans during the Titanomachy? '

That's awfully detailed.

'Yes. '

'Percy was hurt and landed on your island , correct? '

'Yes? '

Annabeth glared at me , "You failed to mention this to me. '

'Errr... It just , " I panicked. 'Slip my mind? '

If Annabeth's glare can kill me , I've been dead at least 3 times by now.

There's a long awkward silent , and the bonus is Annabeth keeps glaring like she wants to kill me.

_It can't be worse._

To answer my prayer , the door opened and it breaks all the heavy silent.

Willy is there standing with his usual I-don't-care look.

'Don't let me bother your lovey dovey conversation , just came to get something. ' He said.

He went to his bed , and took a rosary from under his pillow.

Suddenly , I noticed that Calypso was staring at him.

And the expression she gave , is as if she just met an old lover.

She whispered , 'Willy...'

Willy noticed , and he looked shocked , like he could recognise that voice.

He lets out a cold sweat and slowly turn to Calypso.

When he saw Calypso , his expression exploded.

Confusion , sadness , happiness , mixed everything together and that is what shown on Willy's face.

Willy went outside quickly and I could hear him running.

Annabeth , Thalia , and I are confused.

Calypso looked so sad , yet , she didn't move an inch.

But... Calypso knew Willy , and I'm not about to let this chance slips through.

'How did you knew him?' I asked Calypso.

'Before you...' Calypso whispered weakly , 'He was the hero that landed on my island.'

'How long did he stayed?' I asked impatiently.

'Who knows? In Ogygia , times are hard to predict.'

I can't predict how many days has passed when I was in Ogygia too.

It hits me , this is the last puzzle I need.

I stood up and went to the door.

Calypso , like she could read my mind , she said , 'Near the beach. When he's troubled , he always go there.'

I nodded , and I ran to the forest with all my might.

The beach is my destination , and I'm gonna have all the truth coming out from Willy's mouth.

_No more secrets , Brother._


	9. The Truth

**_Okay okay , it is awkward , but school is a pain in the ass you know_**

**_Gotta get my study pace up since exam is coming soon , boooorinnngggg_**

**_Thanks for all of your reviews , oh and triton_**

**_Sure I can use your character , but I will have to change the way you want it , if that's okay with you , you can tell me._**

**_Anywayyyy , enjoy this chap.. ^^_**

* * *

I ran to the woods , but I can't find him.

I kept going around and around and around , but there's no sign of him.

Then I remembered what Calypso had said.

I ran to the beach quickly after that , but there' still nobody there.

_He can't be gone that far._

'Following me has become a habit of yours , Brother?'

I turn around and saw Willy looking at me , and that is not an ordinary stare.

He's looking at me like I'm some sort of pathetic worm , and worthless in his eyes.

Like when a god saw mortals , just some sort of an ant , nothing more.

'I've been looking for you.'

'Well , here I am.' Replied Willy.

'I want the truth.'

'About what?'

'About everything. First of all would be , who are you?'

'I'm your brother , son of Poseidon.'

'That's not the kind of answer I want.'

'Why don't we take a walk to the woods , Brother?' He said to me.

'The last time someone took me to the woods , he tossed me a deadly poisonous scorpion at me.'

'Then I swear by the river Styx that I would not toss a deadly poisonous scorpion at you.'

He got me deadlock.

He gave me a smirk and start walking to the woods.

Even if he hadn't swore that oath , I would've followed him anyway.

We walked for a couple of minutes and found ourselves in the middle of the woods.

Willy stopped , and turn to me.

'What do you want to know?' Asked Willy.

'How do you survive the last 50 years?'

'No mortals can survive 50 years without aging.' He replied casually.

'I thought so too , I thought that you maybe a monster , disguising as a demigod.'

'I heard from Evan , that you're his childhood friend , and Evan lives 50 years ago. That must have makes you an immortal and a monster.' I continued.

He stayed silent for a minute , and replied to me , 'What makes you change your mind then?'

'Calypso.' I answered.

'Calypso? What did she do?'

'There is a way to stay immortal for 50 years.' I answered.

'Ogygia... You have been there , haven't you , Brother?'

'It doesn't matter , but I know you didn't stay there for 50 years.'

'What's your point?'

'I want to know , how did you not age for 50 years.'

Willy didn't say anything , he just stay silent

'And..? I know something else must have been the reason.' He replied suddenly.

I stayed quiet for a minute , and decided to answer him.

'That our father thinks you are you , no matter how cunning and skillful a monster ability to disguise themselves , they could never fool a god. Our father knows that you are you.'

'... That so..?' He replied coldly.

'Yeah , and now you're gonna tell me how—

Willy burst out laughing , that he startled me.

He laugh so loud , the entire woods is shaken with his laugh.

'And if you knew? What's gonna happen then?' He mocked me.

'This is getting near useless , I can't stand the sight of you or this entire camp anymore.' He continued.

He flick his fingers , and branches of trees and vines are coming out from the ground.

It was fast , and it quickly got me before I even knew it.

It's chaining me and I can't move.

I struggled , but I can't break free.

_This is not good._

'You want to know the truth Brother! I'll tell you the whole damn truth.' He said screaming.

'And Poseidon is YOUR father , not mine.' Said Willy coldly.

'... You hate our father?'

He burst out laughing again , just less loud.

'Hate is not a good enough word for what I felt to Poseidon.'

He show me an expression of hatred that I have never saw in my entire life before.

'..What did he ever do to you?' I asked.

'You want the truth , right Brother? So here is the story. Poseidon killed my mother! He abandon me to die , and he tried to kill me for more times that I could count with ten hands!'

This is a different Willy than what I usually saw.

He lost his calm , and his face is showing madness.

'If Poseidon wants you dead , you would be right now. You would have exploded into tiny billion pieces.'

'Then you know nothing.' He answered coldly.

'What?'

'Poseidon swore an oath by the river styx to my mother , that he will not harm me. I suppose my mother saw it coming.

'It didn't stopped him though , after he killed my mother. He sent his assassins and his underlings to killed me. He can't harm me , but his lackeys can.'

'He would never do that!' I yelled.

'Then you know nothing of Poseidon.' He answered me calmly.

'Gods will always be selfish , and they think that they're above everything else.' He continued.

'You wouldn't survive for 50 years if Poseidon really wants you dead , even if he only sent his underlings.'

'He did mean it , just that the gods did not want me dead.'

Poseidon wants him dead , but the gods didn't want it... He lost me.

'Of course to survived at first is hard , 13 years old , alone , hunted by monsters , nightmare every time you close your eyes , starvation , disease. It was hell on earth.

'I figured that I couldn't possibly last much longer , that the only way that I can survived is if Poseidon can't find me or if he thinks that I'm dead.

'That's where I find the Lotus Casino.'

'Of course! You stayed immortal , and there is where you met Evan.'

He gave me a smirk and continue.

'It was some kind of heaven there , but I never lost my sight of purpose. I knew that I have to stay out of the radar for a while , and I'm immortal there. It's the perfect hiding place.

'Of course , eventually , I would have to get out from there. And I did , believing that I would have been safe after 40 years in hiding.'

'But you were wrong.' I continued him.

He gave me a smirk again , ' I was wrong.'

'Poseidon found out that I was still alive , so I suppose he didn't believe that I died the moment I went missing.

'Once more , he sent his lackeys to kill me. And he succeed... or at least that's what he think.

'They got me trapped , and I fell from a bridge believing that my time is over.'

'And you washed ashore at Ogygia.' I said.

Suddenly he smiled , but this smile is both sad and happy.

' I met Calypso there , and I stayed there longer that I have planned.'

'... You fall in love with her.'

Willy looked at me with an annoyed expression.

He flicked his fingers , and the vines are cuffing me harder.

'It's getting annoying when you do that.' He said to me.

'Well , I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings , .'

He ignored me and continued on with his story.

'Day by day it's getting harder to leave , Calypso helps me forget about my wrath , pain , sadness... And one day , she succeeded.'

'You mean..?'

'Yes , I fall in love with her and decided to stay forever there.' He admitted it with a sad smile.

'But one day Hermes visited us , and that's when I realised of how much I hated the gods.

'He barely did anything , but at that moment , I just felt pure hatred and nothing else'.

He paused for a minute and continue.

'Finally I decided to leave , to go back here , to complete my revenge and objective.' He gave me a sad smile.

'Poseidon knew you are alive now , but he didn't send his lackeys to kill you!'

'That's because now , he can't touched me nor can his lackeys.'

'... What do you mean?'

'No gods of Olympus shall touch me or have anything to do with this , that is the rules.'

'What rules?'

'This is a game Percy , and you are playing it.' He gave me a smirk.

'... A game?' I asked confused.

'Simple , your objective is to defend Olympus.

'Mine... Well , it's quite the opposite. Mine is to crush it into tiny billion pieces , to dethrone the gods of Olympus!'

'You don't have enough power to crush Olympus. You're just a sad little boy.' I mocked him.

Not a good idea , but I can't help it.

'But I do apparently , my sad Brother.' He smirk. 'You may have the gods of Olympus on your side. But I have something even bigger and older than the gods of Olympus.'

'..You don't mean..'

'Yes , I have the primordial gods on my side.'

A blinding light appear and the moment I could see again , Willy is not alone anymore.

I saw two girls and three boys standing near Willy.

I recognised the girls immediately , one with the pure black eye , and the other with the shining golden eye.

They were both the same girl that I met in the woods.

'Game on , Brother.' Said Willy.


	10. Board Game Of The Gods

**_I am TRULY sorry that I haven't update this story for quite some times now._**

**_My final exams are coming up and I have been studying for ages now._**

**_This is something to keep you entertain for a while._**

**_I promise you that I will make it up to you guys and girls after I finish my exam._**

**_Anyway , best of luck and enjoy..~_**

**_Wish me luck for my exam ^^ (totally unnecessary , but wouldn't hurt to have people wishing me luck.)_**

* * *

He's standing there with a group looking at me with different sort of looks.

One with curiosity , one with hatred , and Willy looked at me with some sort of pity.

The earth started to shake for a while , and then something rise from the ground.

The ground started to mold into a some sort of a clay person with green vines attached to them.

Nine of them and they're still increasing in numbers , and now they're holding a club made from... Well... their own hand.

'It's finally over... All this posing like one of you , protectors of Olympus.' Willy groan.

I drew Riptide quickly to defend myself.

Willy looked at what I did , and he start laughing.

'Relax , Brother. I won't kill you just yet.'

'Why is that? Do you want to bond more as brother with me?' I gave a smirk.

'Tempting , but I got five more brothers beside you to bond. So no , I really don't want to bond more with you.' He smiled.

'...What do you mean?' I asked confused.

'Back in my days , the three great brothers were not forbidden to make an offspring. Wouldn't be surprising if our father had more son than me , right?'

I stared at the three other boys who are standing there with Willy , and I'm surprised.

They all have similar eyes that Willy and I have , the colour of the ocean.

Similar but different , but there is no doubt that they're Poseidon sons , my brothers.

'From your look , you knew that these guys is your brothers.' He pointed at the three boys.

They're young , one of them is older than both Willy and I. The other one is about the same age , and the last one is younger than the both of us , probably about fourteen.

'So who's the cheerleader?' I asked.

The golden eyed girl glared at me while the dark eyed girl giggled.

'I'll watch my word if I were you.'

'Why? Cause I'll hurt their feelings?' I mocked them.

'No , mostly cause they're the Primordial Gods.'

_And it didn't occurred to you to tell me before I mocked them?_

'I want you to meet Hemera and Nyx , THE Primordial goddess of the day and night.'

Usually I would asked which is which , but the colour of their eyes made it clear of which is which.

The golden eyed girl must be Hemera and the dark eyed girl is Nyx.

I'm shivering , from fear , mostly from the goddess cold stares.

They're staring at me like I'm some kind of bug that can be squashed any time they want.

I've been getting that kind of stares so many times that I lost count of it.

'There's nothing to be afraid , Brother.' Said Willy.

'Easy for you to say , I don't see you facing any ancient goddess that can turn you to dust.'

He smiled , and it's wicked.

'I told you , didn't I? This is a game , a board game of the gods to be exact. And they can't play if they're missing a piece.'

'The ancient gods got up just so that they can play some stupid board game?'

'Percy , when you're immortal , you get bored really easy. And I haven't had any fun for a thousand years.' Nyx spoke for the first time.

'A monopoly would have been better than some human chess board , don't you think?'

'You are as clueless as you have ever been , Perseus Jackson.' Said Hemera.

'And are you always this sick? We are NOT your toys!'

'On the contrary , you are. Obviously , human meant literally nothing to us. We could end the world if we want to.' Replied Hemera.

_Okay , this lady is seriously crazy._

'You know , for the ancient goddess of light , you are one of sickest goddess that I have ever met , and you definitely are not the role model of representing light.'

Hemera glared at me , her eyes is shining brighter than it has ever been , 'Watch your word , boy. I could easily snap your head like a twig.'

'Easy there sister.' Said Nyx stopping Hemera.

The light in Hemera eyes went off , it's still bright , just not as bright as before.

Willy smiled at me as if he's amused.

'I know that you are fearless , just never expected you to be such a daredevil.' Praise him.

'Yeah , can we skip the sharing part to the part where I kicked your butt?'

He smiled again.

'In time brother , I promise you that.'

'You're scared that I will humiliate you in front of your friends?'

'Hardly , it's just that you might want to hurry back to the camp.'

I stared at him , confused.

'Why?'

'The game has begun , and we already make our first move.'

'Which is..?'

He smiled innocently , 'Attacking the camp. Right now our troops is already swarming all over the camp.'

I quickly glance at the camp , and I saw black smoke all over the place.

I can't see the camp , but the black smoke already made it clear.

_Fire._

My mind is in the state of panic for a few seconds , and then I realised what I have to do.

Kicking Willy's butt can be done later , right now , I need to help my friends.

Just when I was about to ran to the camp , the earth/wood soldiers stopped me.

'After you defeat them you can go back to the camp.' Willy smiled wickedly.

I glared at him , and I just snapped.

I drew Riptide , clicked it , and throw it at Willy , so fast that I couldn't even believed that I can throw that fast.

It's aimed at him perfectly accurate , and at full speed.

He dodged at the last moment , and it missed him by centimetres.

He looked surprised and glanced at me , Riptide stabbed a tree.

He quickly regained his cool face though , I smiled because I was able to scare him even for just a second.

He pulled Riptide from the tree , and threw it at me.

It's a bit dumb and dangerous , but instead of dodging , I caught it in mid-air while it still in its sword form.

Luckily enough , I caught the hilt.

'You'll be needing that brother , and I looked forward to our next meeting.' Willy said that with a coldly tone.

Hemera glared at me and a blinding light appear and I closed my eyes , and when I opened it , they were gone , all five of them.

I turn to the earth soldiers , and I counted them.

_Three brothers and two goddess gone , fiveteen earth maniac killing soldiers to go._

Usually , in this case where they completely outnumbered me , I ran.

But I just went against two ancient goddess and a psychopath brother , fear is something that I'm not feeling right now.

Besides , they wouldn't let me go , not in this lifetime.

I literally jumped to them , I'm in a hurry and I need to be at the camp right now.

The first soldier swung his club towards me , I ducked and sliced off his foot almost at the same time.

I immediately got backed up , and I ran to the second soldier.

I gave him a flying kick , and as soon as he fell down , I stab his chest.

The soldier turn into nothing more than dust and vines.

_They can be killed._

The third and fourth soldier swung their clubs at me , and I can't dodge it , so I blocked it instead.

They sent me flying and I hit a tree pretty hard.

I stood up quickly and the third soldier came to me quickly.

He swung his club to my left and I blocked it , it's heavy but I can hold my ground.

Immediately I swung my sword in a rotational direction from his club to his head.

It got cut off like a paper.

The fourth guy was coming to me , but I won't let them do things their way anymore.

I throw Riptide at him , and it stab him right at the chest.

I ran to him and drew my Riptide from his chest , and after that my instinct completely took over.

I got used to death and life battle again , and my survival instinct is back.

The fifth soldier swung his club to my head , I reflect it and slashed him.

I kept running and three of the soldiers are right in front of me.

I didn't gave them any chance at all , as soon as they raise their clubs , I swung my sword left , right , left , while running between them.

They got sliced in the stomach and turn into dust immediately.

I didn't stop moving , and I went to the next soldier.

He raise his club and the timing is right to hit me if I keep running to him.

But I didn't plan to stop at all , instead , I just run faster to him.

It worked , I quickly stabbed him in the stomach before he has the chance to smite me.

I noticed movement behind me , and I turn around quickly.

A soldier is there and he's ready for me.

_No time to pull Riptide._

I kicked the soldier on the chest and he's stumbled , but it's not enough.

I gave him an uppercut right on his chin.

He stumbled backward and that just gave me enough time to pull Riptide from the other soldier's chest.

I pulled it away but the soldier behind me quickly regained his balance and ready to swing his club.

With instinct , I held Riptide with both of my hands , take a step back and sliced off the soldier foot.

He went down like a doll and I stab his chest the moment he touch the ground.

The next soldier is already right in front of me and he swung his club to my head.

I spin to the right , take a step forward , and slashed his back , all almost at the same time.

There's another one in front of me and even though he caught me by surprise , I'm ready for him.

I held Riptide with both of my hands and slashed his front before he has the chance to do anything.

I saw the next soldier near a very short hillside , and my hand just moved on its own.

I threw Riptide to him and it stab his head and just hanging there.

I ran to him and I pulled Riptide from his head while I'm still running , right on the hillside , and I jumped.

I will be right in front of the next soldier when I land on the ground , and I didn't waste this chance.

The soldier got sliced off in a perfect horizontal as my sword landed in his place.

I switch hands that are holding my sword , from right hand to left hand.

No time wasted , I swung my sword right to the direction of my back.

I knew that the last soldier will be there , and I was right.

I sliced his neck , and it's as if he haven't realised it yet.

I ran out of breath , but I finished all of them.

I stared at them , or at least what is left from them.

Dust and vines is all that remains , and I don't think they're coming back.

I caught my breath , but I don't have anymore time to lose.

I ran back to the camp , and hoping that everyone is okay.


	11. Invasion

**I'm ashamed to what I'm about to tell you.  
Apparently it took me 7 months to finally remember my account and my password.  
****I'm so sorry and I'm in fact, very much embarrassed  
But I assure you, I will never forget my password again.  
**

**Oh, some of you told me that it's hard to read with a single space line, so now I'm erasing the line.  
If you prefer the the single space line, do tell me and I will change it back the way it was.  
But if you prefer this one, that I will not change it.  
Once again, I am so sorry... I failed as a writer T_T  
Hope you guys can forgive me.  
Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

I keep running and running, and I didn't stop.  
Camp half-blood is finally in sight, and I could see hundreds of the earth spawns that I just fought everywhere.  
The camp is in a shamble, every camper there is fighting the earth spawns.  
Chiron and Artemis are supposed to be there. How can they let the camp get attacked?  
They it struck my mind; few hours ago Chiron was accompanying Artemis to Olympus.  
No wonder the camp is so defenseless.  
I ran, looking for any sign of Annabeth and Thalia.  
I'm sure Annabeth and Thalia can handle everything just fine, but I'm still worried. Especially since Calypso is there, I'm not sure if she can fight regardless her status as the daughter of Atlas.  
You can't just picture her taking a sword and slicing the butter out of the enemies.  
She looks so fragile and innocent (I'm glad Annabeth can't read my mind right now.)  
I keep looking for them, and I'm worried sick since the fire is getting larger and larger, camp half-blood is officially torched.  
Finally, I saw Annabeth are fighting the earth spawns back-to-back with Thalia near my cabin, but the earth spawns are outnumbering them, soon it'll be too much for them to handle.  
I took Riptide out of my pocket, clicked it, and quickly I aided Thalia and Annabeth.  
I stabbed an earth spawn from the back, it turn to dust and vines.  
Annabeth slit the throat of an earth spawn, quickly it became dust and vines.  
'Percy!' called Annabeth.  
We gathered around back-to-back. Sadly, I thought that adding me to the defending group would even the odds, but it doesn't change anything, the earth spawns are still surrounding us and are still outnumbering us.  
'What are they?' Asked Thalia.  
'More importantly, how did they penetrate the camp barrier?'  
'You'll be thrilled to know who's in charge for letting these guys in.' I muttered.  
Annabeth and Thalia stared at me with a big question mark on their face.  
'I'll tell you all about it later. Where's Calypso? Is she okay?' I asked.  
'She's fine, Matt took her to safety.' Thalia answered.  
'Matt is really useful when there's a pretty girl involved, don't you think?' I commented.  
An earth spawn charged forward to Annabeth, swinging its arm, Annabeth ducked and sliced both of the earth spawn knees and I struck the throat almost immediately.  
'I'm fine too Percy, thanks for asking. Your concern for your girlfriend over a really pretty girl is touching.' Annabeth grumbled.  
Another spawn approached me, instead of ducking, evading or blocking, I take two steps forward and struck its chest with my Riptide. I pulled Riptide from his chest and quickly chopped its head off.  
Dust and vines again it becomes.  
'That's not what I meant.'  
'Do explain what you meant Percy. I'm very curious in what you meant' Said Annabeth being sarcastic.  
Another spawn closing in on Thalia, it's trying to hit her, but Thalia parries it with Aegis. Then Thalia jump and stab the back of the creature head. It turns to dust and vines in an instant.  
'I'm really sorry to interrupt your lover quarrels, but do you realize that we ARE SURROUNDED BY WOOD FORM KILLERS!'  
'Thalia's right. We'll continue this later.' Said Annabeth.  
'There's gonna be a later discussion?'  
'You don't take anything seriously, do you Percy?' Said Annabeth annoyed.  
'I AM taking this seriously.' I defended myself.  
'For crying out loud! The wood killers are not gonna wait to listen to your problems!'  
Sure enough, the earth spawns charged to us all at once.  
I'm a bit distracted by Annabeth, but these guys aren't so tough. So it wasn't that hard to beat them.  
I slash and hack, kick, stomp, dozens of earth spawns turned to dust by us.  
But no matter how much we destroyed, they keep coming and coming.  
Slowly, we're starting to have a really hard time. There's probably a hundred that we've already killed, but their numbers doesn't seem to lessen at all.  
I'm starting to lose my breath, so is Annabeth and Thalia.  
I'm pretty much invincible as long as they don't strike my Achilles heel, but Annabeth and Thalia aren't.  
_This is starting to get bad.  
_'There's no end to them.' Said Thalia, panting heavily.  
'Anyone… *pant* regretted that they didn't take a dip in Styx like me?'  
'That is… *pant* so not funny… *pant* Jackson.'  
'I know… *pant* Just keeping the moral high.'  
I watch Annabeth, she's catching her breath calmly, but I know she's struggling for air inside.  
Annabeth is not saying anything, she's conserving her strength.  
'Probably we should do what Annabeth do... *pant* Less talking and more breathing.' I suggested.  
'Good idea.' Said Thalia.  
I know that we can only catch our breath for a moment, the earth spawns is encircling us, probably looking for a good opportunity to strike.  
'With the little amount of time we got to rest and the amount of the spawns, I say we're doom if we don't get any help soon.'  
'That's exactly the kind of talk we need to keep our moral high Percy.' Said Annabeth.  
'What are you gonna do then Jackson? Scream for help like a little girl?'  
I glared at Thalia for a minute, but I turned my attention back to the earth spawns.  
'Less talking, more breathing.'  
The earth spawns seems to be in their formation, they stopped moving around and some of them are crouching like they're going to leap towards us.  
'I think they're going to attack.' Said Thalia.  
'What's your first clue?' I asked.  
The earth spawns charged forward and we were ready to defend what's left of us.  
But then suddenly grape vines appear from the ground, gripping all of the earth spawns and crushing them into tiny bits.  
All of them turn back to dust and vines.  
Only one person or rather, one god that is capable of doing this.  
Walking leisurely from the sky is Mr. D; he's walking in mid-air and down to the ground.  
Never in my life have I ever been so happy to see Mr. D.  
In fact, the three of us have never been so relief to see Mr. D.  
Relief flooded my entire body replacing all the adrenaline, and because of that, in an instance I fell on the ground, sitting there watching Mr. D as he walk to the ground.  
Thalia and Annabeth did the same thing, I guess they're just as relief as I am.  
His feet is finally on the ground, he gaze upon the burning camp and turned his attention to me.  
'Look at what you've done to the camp, Henry.' Said Mr. D.  
'Percy, and I'm not the one who let the spawns in.'  
'I know that Larry, but this thing happen because of your half-brother… But you did manage to defend the camp and surviving for so long, so I suppose I won't punish you.'  
I smiled, 'It's good to see you again Mr. D.'  
Mr. D sighed, but I could've sworn I saw a faint smile on his face.  
'Come along now you three, I got news. But first, clean all of this mess, will you?' Said Mr. D


	12. Rules

**One person asked to change the spacing back, and since no one else ask me just to keep it the way it is, guess I'm changing it back.**

**And one more thing, to the person who told me that it's weird. What do you mean when you told me that it's weird?**

**Enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

We survived a wave of killer earth spawn. But Camp Half-Blood is torched, and when I said torched, I mean nearly became ruins.

The Hephaestus campers are working their best to rebuild the camp.

Almost all of the cabins are torched. Even my cabin is half-roasted, though all my stuff is safe. I wonder how.

The Hermes cabin got the worst of it, it was in ashes. The fire completely burned everything to the ground.

The only thing that didn't suffer much damage is the Arena, but everything else is a mess.

Luckily the damage, even though it's really bad, it's not beyond repair.

I was put into cleaning, along with Annabeth and Thalia.

The Apollo campers are busy treating the wounded in the infirmary.

All the campers are helping in ways they could, except for Clarisse.

Chris Rodriguez got injured badly. Some of the campers are injured as well, but Chris got it really bad.

He was all alone in the arena when the invasion started and got surrounded by a dozen of the earth spawns. He fought the best he could, but there's too many of them, and ended up taking only a few of them.

He would've died if it weren't for. Coincidentally, Lisa was nearby when she heard the noise they made. Lisa came to his rescue and took care of the rest of the spawns but unfortunately Chris was already half-dead when she found him.

Luckily enough, Argus told us that he's gonna be okay. He need to rest now and Clarisse is accompanying him.

Clarisse took it pretty hard though, she even blames herself, which is not common for her to blame herself instead of anyone else.

Mr. D is back from Olympus, now he's residing in the big house waiting for us to clean up the mess. He told us that he got news for us, for better or for worse. It's not usual for Mr. D to get nervous and worried.

He was a big help though when the spawns attacked, practically save a lot of the campers.

Chiron is back as well, he got here a few hours after the attack. I do hope that what they're bringing is good news. I could really use one now instead of hearing another bad news.

But then again, when is my life ever turned normal? I mean demigod normal.

Finally, after 8 hours long labor work, we're finish for the day.

The camp is still in shambles, but it will have to do for now.

Not that there's any break time for me though, Mr. D and Chiron are expecting me, Annabeth and Thalia the moment we're done cleaning.

We headed right to the big house. Fortunately, the big house wasn't torched. It was on fire, but only for a minute or two before Mr. D swoop in and put it down. Though it'll be nice for him to arrive 10 minutes early. Probably would've prevented the rest of the camp from burning.

The big house didn't change much, but there's more decoration than the last time. Now there's statue of all the gods, even the minor, in the Rec. room where the camp leaders are having their meeting. There's a garden of grapes on the deck, Mr. D planted them. The ceilings are now decorated with vines and some kind of bright light. The attic didn't change at all, so is the basement and the infirmary. They were thinking of adding an extra floor to the big house, which I can't figure out what for.

We entered Chiron's office and both Chiron and Mr. D are there.

'What took you so long Rockson?' Asked Mr. D.

'Jackson, the mess that we have to clean was much more than we expected.'

Mr. D sighed, 'Sit down; I bring news from Olympus.'

_Yeah, all good news started by using that sentence._

'It appears that your brother have won the favor of the primordial. They were talking about some sort of game.' Mr. D looks annoyed.

'I heard, he told me that what just happens is some sort of board game of the gods.' I said, disgusted.

'He's not wrong I'm afraid. I heard this directly from Zeus.' Said Chiron.

'That was some sort of a game! We could've died!' Thalia is angry.

'Believe it or not, the primordial gods are even worse than the Titans. At least they had a purpose. These guys just did it simply out of boredom.' I said.

'Did Zeus know about the invasion just now?' Asked Annabeth.

'Yes… He knew what just happen here.' Said Chiron heavily.

'What! And he didn't do a thing! Not so much of a complaint to the primordial?' Thalia protested.

'There wasn't much that he can do child. Mother Gaia has spoken; even Zeus himself cannot disobey her.'

'I'm guessing we don't have any choice but to play.' I spoke

'Unfortunately so child…' Answered Chiron.

'… What kind of game are we playing?' Asked Annabeth.

'You're not serious… Are you?' Thalia stares at Annabeth with disbelief.

'Isn't it obvious? We need to know what kind of game we are playing if we want to win.'

'What I meant is; are you out of your mind! I don't think the invasion just now is a part of monopoly!'

'I don't like it as well, but one thing I learnt from the gods is that when they do something like this, they're not joking. And if we don't play, they'll just blow us to millions of pieces and get better playing things.' Annabeth is serious.

'She's right. We might as well learn the rules.' I agreed.

'But… Ugh… Jackson, When I got my hands on your brother, I'm gonna tear him apart!'

'Believe me, I'll even help you.'

'Fine then, what kind of game we're playing?' Asked Thalia.

'Are you familiar with the term role playing game?' Mr. D answered.

'I don't think so.' Said Thalia.

'It's the kind of game where we travel, explore, fight monsters, right?' Answered Annabeth.

'That's right. This game resemble that kind of game, it's an adventurous board game for the primordial.'

'So basically… It's like Zelda?' I asked.

'Won't that be like an ordinary quest?' Thalia added.

'Yes, but the objective is unclear.' Said Mr. D.

'How so?' Annabeth look confused.

'The only instruction we received is for you to travel to Los Angeles. They are really not much of a talker.' Answered Mr. D annoyed.

'What about the rules?' I asked.

'No god of Olympus may first-handedly help the players. The following players would be Camp Half-Blood against William Knight and his army.' Said Chiron.

'William Knight?' I look confused.

'I'm assuming that's your brother full name.' Said Annabeth.

'Right.' I rolled my eyes.

'Wait… Camp Half-Blood? Does that mean that all of the campers are part of the game?' Asked Annabeth.

'Yes, but you might want to bring only a few campers to Los Angeles. It'll be more effective that way.'

'I know. It's just… What could they possibly need with that many people?'

'I'm afraid I have no idea what they're planning. But child, what you all are about to do are undoubtedly dangerous. There's no telling of what you might encounter. I hope you are prepared for this journey.'

Chiron look really worried.

'Yes, while all that is fine to say. You cannot lose, for the outcome of this game will determine the fate of Olympus.'

'The fate of what now?'

'If you happen to lose, then the primordial deities will destroy Olympus. So you better not lose Gary.'

'Percy, and are you kidding me! We fail and Olympus will be destroyed?'

'That's just great.' Thalia snorted.

'I'm truly sorry child, for the entire burden you have to carry. But you all are the only one we can count on.' Said Chiron apologetically.

I feel sorry for Chiron. Even though we've been assigned to such a task, but the burden of guilt all fell on his shoulder.

'It's okay Chiron, we'll make it out of this. Alive.' I smiled.

'Yeah, don't you worry.' Thalia added.

Chiron smiled back to us.

'That all aside, I think we need two more campers to accompany us to Los Angeles.' Said Annabeth.

'So who will we invite?' Asked Thalia.

'Anyone who's good with their weapon will do. Also the ones that are not giving much contribution to repair the camp, like us.' Answered Annabeth.

Can't disagree with her. Cleaning was the only job we could do to help since Annabeth design of the new camp was rejected.

'How about the two people that are currently eavesdropping us?'

'Eavesdropping?' I asked.

Mr. D put his right hand pointing against the door and made a motion as if he's opening the door. The door opens all of the sudden and two persons fell to the ground.

I stared at them, a boy and a girl.

They got up and I recognized them, it was Matt and Lisa.

'Um… We happened to pass by?' Said Lisa awkwardly.

'I… Err… You know… What she said.' Matt followed up.

There's about two minutes of silence until Annabeth said something.

'They'll do.'

I stared at Annabeth and then I turn my attention back to Matt and Lisa.

I think they heard what Annabeth said since their eyes lit like a firework.

I sighed, 'Do you guys wanna come along with us to Los Angeles?'

They stared at me with disbelief until there's a smirk in their face.

'You're not kidding… Right?' Asked Matt.

I rolled my eyes, 'No, I'm serious.'

There's a few second silence until there's a smirk in their face.

'Of course I want to.' Said Matt.

'I can't believe I'm getting my first quest!' Lisa starts laughing.

Matt high-five Lisa and then they were doing some sort of victory dance.

We watch them as they jiggle their way into happiness.

Thalia move closer to Annabeth.

'They have no idea what they're getting into.' Thalia whispered.

'I feel kinda sorry for them.' Annabeth mumbled.

_So do I..._


	13. Resolve

_**And it's over guys and girls! This story is now over!**_

_**Or not, I'm kidding, I don't know why I wrote that.**_

_**Anyhow, enjoy this chapter!**_

_**Next chapter will be Percy in the big city!**_

* * *

It's been 8 hours since we talked to Chiron and Mr. D.

The campers are giving a good-luck feast to Annabeth and the others, but I returned to my cabin.

We're going to depart right before sunrise.

Nico was throwing a tantrum because he's not coming with us; we need him here, just in case Willy sends another army to invade the camp.

I felt uneasy, so I wore my armor and alone in my cabin, I packed my bag silently.

Even with the loud noises outside, I heard nothing in my mind and in my cabin.

There's nothing but utter silence.

Five brothers and probably an army along with the Primordial gods to defeat, or Olympus will fall.

I know what my brother wanted, and I know that he will not stop no matter what are the consequences.

And with those eyes, I'm certain that nothing will get through him.

There's one thing that I can do, things I did to a monster.

But is he a monster? His eyes certainly give away hatred that I have never seen before in my life.

He puts all the campers in danger, and I remember Chris Rodriguez.

I visited him once, he was in a bad condition and he almost die.

I'm angry of what Willy did to all of us, angrier that he put Annabeth in danger.

I held my Riptide so tight that I feel I can break it.  
'Percy…' I heard a soft whisper.

Surprised, I turn around quickly and stared at the face who called me.

Calypso is there staring at me.

She saw something and got startled then I can see her hands shaking a bit.

'What's wrong?' I asked.

'… Your expression just now… I thought only Willy has it.'

I stared at Calypso and think about what she just said.

She was right; I felt hatred so deep that I know a bit of how much hatred Willy has.

'Sorry… I must have frightened you…'

'It's okay… I know what you've been through.' She smiled faintly.

Calypso smile cheered me up a bit.

'Anything I can do for you?' I asked.

Calypso smile faded, she seems to hesitate.

'Calypso?'

'… You're going… to kill him, aren't you?'

She took me by surprise, and I don't know what to say that'll comfort her.

'You will… Won't you?'

'… Probably…'

Calypso looks down and there's a brief silence in the room.

'That's… Probably for the best… He tried to kill you and all of the other campers, and he wants to overthrow Olympus.'

'That's right.'

Calypso smile faintly,' He's also a liar, he told me that he's going to take me to something he called a movie, He told me that he'll show me the best view in the whole world.'

I said nothing and just stared at her.

'I hate how he never told me that he's going to take a bath that make me saw him half naked whenever I passed the waterfall. I hate how he messy he is whenever we're eating. I hate him for doing reckless things just to tell me that he loves me.'

'…Calypso?'

I begin to see tears flowing down from her eyes, she's crying, but she's not stopping.

'And… *sob* I hate how he cuddles me every night just to make sure I'm not cold, I hate how he held me tight between his arms whenever we sit near the moonlace, I hate his smiles when he listen to me, and I hate how he kisses me whenever we were swimming in the waterfall. I hate everything about him!'

There's nothing I can do or say to comfort her. She's crying so hard, I'm at a loss.

She's tough on the outside and never stops smiling, but in the inside she's dying and falling apart.

'And I… *sob* hate him for leaving me all alone in there, even though he said all of those things to me…' Calypso whispered.

'…Do you… Still love him?' I asked.

She keeps crying, and she thought about what I just said.

'I do… *sob* I still love him Percy… I know that it's wrong; I know that he deserves to be punished. But I still love him no matter what… He's the best thing that has ever happen to me… I don't want him to die…'

She fell on her knees while crying.

There's five minutes of silent, and I made up my mind.

I grab my bag and I pat Calypso on her shoulder.

'I won't kill him; I will do whatever I can to bring him back to you. This, I swear to you.'

I opened the door, and I saw all of my companions standing there.

They brought their bags and already wore their armor.

'You better fulfill your promise, Seaweed Brain.' Annabeth Said.

'You're ready I guess.' Thalia presumed.

I nodded.

Lisa and Matt smiled at me and I smiled back to them.

There's no sound, the camp is quiet, makes you wonder where everyone go.

We start walking to the gate, some of us are excited, some are nervous, me? I just want to lay one punch to my stupid brother.

We saw Chiron from afar and there's another person there, a girl with blonde hair, but we don't know who she is.

When we got closer I recognize her.

'Children… I would like to introduce—'

'I can make my own introduction Chiron, there's no need for you to make mine.'

'Hemera…' I whispered.

It's hard to miss her when her eyes are shining like the sun.

'Percy Jackson. We meet again.' Hemera Said. 'Hemera, Primordial goddess of the light.'

'You know her?' Lisa asked.

'Know me? He went as far as to mock me.'

'You did what!' Annabeth is furious; I can see it in her eyes.

'Err… Yeah, I may have done that.'

Hemera looked at us, 'There are only five of you, will you only bring this many?'

'It's enough.' Annabeth answered.

Hemera sighed, 'I would've bring an army, but if this is what you want.'

Hemera waved her hand and magically five ticket looking papers appeared.

'What are those?' Thalia asked.

'Five plane tickets to Los Angeles, take it.'

Hemera handed over the tickets and with all that we're ready to go.

'Percy!'

I turn around to see Calypso running towards me and I waited until she reaches me.

'Calypso?'

Panting, she's catching her breath until finally she said something crazy.

'I'm coming with you.'

I looked at her with disbelief and so did the rest of us.

'You're joking, right?' Thalia Said.

'I'm not! I know healing magic, I can help you.'

I can see her determination; she's going with us or without us.

'…Are you sure?' I asked.

'I'm not going to be the helpless princess anymore.'

Annabeth stared at me.

'You're considering this are you! She's going to get hurt or worse!' Annabeth protested.

'It's her choice.'

I turn my attention to Hemera.

Hemera waved her hand and one more ticket appears from thin air.

She gave me the ticket and with all that there are six of us now.

'We'll be waiting then.' There's a blinding light and after that Hemera disappeared.

Chiron looks concerned, 'There's nothing I can do but to pray for your safety… I'm sorry I can't do much.'

Thalia smiled, 'Don't worry Chiron, we'll be back before you know it.'

'Psst, Percy.' Calypso whispered.

'Yeah?'

'I'm going to slap your brother really hard for being stupid.'

I smiled, 'Right after I hit him in the face of course.'


	14. Under The Ocean

Nothing is more refreshing than falling down seven thousand feet from a flying plane with no parachute and right above the ocean.

The flight attendants were nice enough to throw me off board knowing that I will survive the fall.

The tickets that Hemera gave us were a scam. The tickets were real and it was a private flight. The crews weren't human though, the crews were a group of what I described as really odd trolls.

Lisa and Matt were the most excited one when they find out that we're flying private, and the plane was huge. Sixty foot wide and eighteen foot tall, it was painted like a normal typical white grayish plane.

It started out okay with Lisa and Matt running from one end to another inside the plane. Calypso followed them as well, she was curious with the design and how does plane work. Thalia was scared out of her mind when we took off while Annabeth was seriously thinking about something.

My thought was filled with my brothers, all five of them. I never thought that I have that many brothers, demi-god brothers.

I fell asleep for a while and when I woke up, I thought that we had arrived but we had not. When I looked at my watch, five hours have already passed and then I knew immediately that the plane was not heading for Los Angles, also that we were above the ocean when I looked outside of the window.

Everyone was asleep when I realized that something was terribly wrong and when I tried to wake Annabeth, she didn't budge at all.

The crew came swarming up from behind me and grabbed me almost immediately, I had no time to react. They had me and they opened the door. Heavy wind rushed in and the sound of what it felt like an explosion in the air can be heard, but even with that, Annabeth and the others did not wake up.

I fell from many places into the water below before, but seven thousand feet must be a new record for me. I'm sure that the water won't harm me but there's a small feeling inside of me that says I'm going to die. Wind brushes my face and I can barely see anything with all the wind hitting my eyes.

Finally I hit the water and it doesn't hurt one bit, or it can also be that I just died when I hit the water.

It was like falling two foot into a pillow, the water is soft and it fuels me with power at that moment.

The rush is incredible, being with that much water but all of the sudden something grabbed my foot and dragged me down. It feels like I'm being dragged by a race car, it's getting faster and faster by seconds. If an underwater race car exists, that would be the most logical explanation of what is dragging me down right now. Not that an underwater race car is logical.

I try to look at that something that is dragging me down but there is almost nothing there, the closest that I can figure is that it's a group of bubbles forming in a weird manner and is currently wrapping my leg.

The surrounding gets darker by minutes; we're getting deeper and deeper until finally its pitch black. I can't see a thing but that something keeps dragging me down and it is still not stopping.

A bright light comes shining to me, it is not from above but the exact opposite, it comes from below.

I could see shining rocks everywhere that brighten up the place like the sun is actually shining here.

I hear the horns of war and the roaring and yelling of thousands of mermens. It's like watching a football match, a team is fighting with another team. One side is the blue mermens and the other side is gray mermens and instead of playing with a ball, they're killing each other with sword and spear. All of them are well equipped with a breastplate, shield and some are wearing war helmets.

The bubble drops me on side of the warzone. If this warzone is a field for football players, than I would be where the bench players are.

I noticed that the blue mermens are losing and they are outnumbered as well. A lot of the blue mermens fall to the ground and the gray ones are advancing.

Three of the gray ones suddenly spot me and they come straight to me. One of the gray ones charges me with a spear. I draw and click Riptide and it changes into a sword. I parry the spear but the other two mermens are already on my left and right side. They are coordinated well.

The two mermens stab me with their spear and they knock me ten foot from where I was standing. I stand up and watch as the three mermens charge at me again. My footing is messed up, and my only thought is that I'm going to get hit again.

A figure stand in front of me all of the sudden, he swings his spear in a diagonal way and slays a mermen instantly, the other two barely dodge. The spear is a trident and for a moment, I thought I saw my father.

It wasn't my father, the person that is standing before me is a green mermen.

The green mermen raises his trident and charges after one of the gray mermens, the gray mermen is attempting to block the attack by raising his spear but the trident goes through the block and it slash the gray mermen alongside his spear into two pieces.

The last gray merman runs away from us. The green merman raises his trident one more time and he throws it, it goes straight to the gray merman's belly. The gray merman becomes dust and the trident goes back to the green merman.

The green merman set his gaze on me and then I recognize him, even though we have only met once. My god-brother, Triton.


	15. First Challenge

Rival in Styx 15

'Thank you Triton. You may leave now.' Poseidon says.

Triton bows his head and leaves us. My father is right in front of me wearing a blue breastplate with green markings on it. He looks like one of those Chinese warlords that you see in a movie.

I was brought to an underwater castle by Triton, a different one than the one I saw last year. This castle was shining brightly like it was painted with glow-in-the-dark white paint. The inside was awfully white and bright as well; it felt like the walls were made of glitters, it sparkled surprisingly much. It was a wonder that no one was disturbed by this. The water inside the castle is so clear that I had thought that it is dry inside the castle.

Triton led me to a room with a big round table with a map on the table in the middle of the room. The room has a sky ceiling that shows the ocean above, even though it is still a bit dark. The room is decorated with armors and cased weapons. Also with gold decorations everywhere, from a gold vase to a gold cabinet. The map on the table was most likely a war map. My father was standing right next to the table, leaning right against it.

'Percy, I thought you were on your way to Los Angeles. What are you doing here?' Poseidon says.

I sigh, 'They threw me out from the plane. I'm guessing the old gods want me to be here.'

My father looks like he is working on something inside his head; 'I think you should go meet your companions. I will arrange a transport for you.'

Suddenly the castle walls shake violently, so is the ground, a tremor. It lasts for a couple of minutes and then it finally stops.

'What was that?' I ask.

My father looks at me with a worried look; 'It's a tremor, Percy. It's nothing to be alarmed for. In any case, about that transport—'

'The only thing that causes tremors is you.' I interrupt.

My father stands there and looks at me with a sad look.

'What's going on? Why are those grey mermen out there attacking us?' I asked.

He stays silent and then he looks down like he's feeling guilty.

'Tell me…' I whimpered.

Poseidon looks at me, he seems hesitant but then he says, 'I'm at war… Percy'

I stare at my father like he's some sort of crazy fool, 'With the primordial?'

'No. Even though those grey mermen are indeed Pontus's men, Pontus himself is not in this war, but neither am I.' Poseidon says.

'What does that mean?' I stare at my father.

'It means that both I and Pontus are not allowed to enter this battle personally. Pontus said that it will be unfair if either one of us is in this war.' Poseidon answers.

'So the victory will be decided by the troops then?' I say.

'Yes…' Poseidon answer is short and brief.

It's not everything of course, I can see that my father is still hiding something. There's something important about this war that he's trying to hide from me.

'You still haven't told me about Willy.' I blurted.

My father stays silent for a few minutes, 'I promise I will tell you everything. But I'm in the middle of the war right now, I cannot—'

'Then I'll stay and fight.' I interrupt.

Poseidon sigh, 'Percy, you can't stay here.'

'The primordial gods put me here for a reason. I think it's because they want me to be in this war. Besides, I was planning to stay and help you anyway, whether the old gods want me or not.'

'You can't! You'll be doing exactly what they want!' Poseidon raises his voice.

Another tremor strikes in, and this time it's definitely coming from my father. He looks a bit mad, but it is combined with sadness if such an expression is possible.

'…What is it? What is it that you're not telling me?' I asked.

My father looks up to the sky, or to the ocean above. He closes his eyes and there's a sad expression on his face.

'This is the first challenge from the primordial gods… The game of human chess.' Poseidon says.

'…And?' I reply.

Poseidon takes a heavy breath, 'The condition of victory… Is the death of the opposing general of the army… Either Pontus's general… Or mine…' Slowly he elaborates.

My father looks at me and then I understand everything perfectly.

'I'm your general. That's why the old gods brought me here.'

Poseidon nods. Sadness is all over his face, he can't hide the sorrow any longer.

I stand there in silence and then; 'I'll win. I always do.' I smile to Poseidon.

Poseidon looks at me and then he looks down, 'Everyone will be after you Percy. All Pontus's troops… And to make it worse…' My father pauses.

I just stand there in silent staring at him.

'Do you know anyone by the name Matthew Frost?' Poseidon continues.

I shook my head.

'He's the general of Pontus's army.' Poseidon says.

'A human?' There's a weird tone in my voice.

'A demigod…' Poseidon says, 'My son… And your brother.' Poseidon continues.

I wish I could say that I didn't see that coming, but I did. I didn't know when it was going to happen, that I will have to face my brothers, but I knew that it was coming and it was inevitable. Now it's finally here, Matthew Frost.

Poseidon knew it as well, that every son of his that took Willy sides, has a deep grudge against him, that the grudge they hold can't be simply be erased.

'I'm going to face him, dad. I have to.' I say with steel resolve.

My father looks at me with guilt on his face, 'I'm sorry that I can't stop this, Percy.'

I smile, 'It's fine, dad. I'm going to knock some sense into Matthew. Maybe he'll snap out of this and agrees to go to a picnic with you.' I say with a false hope.

Poseidon smiles back to me, he knows that I might have to kill Matthew in the end, but he still smiles, even though I'm sure that it's a smile full of pain.

'There's something I would like you to have, Percy. And this might be the perfect opportunity to actually use it.' Poseidon says.


	16. A Beast

I find myself leading and in the middle of eight thousands mermen ready to die in my stead.

The battlefield is strangely a bit bright, like some of the sunshine got through the water.

Afar is the army of my brother, Matthew Frost, who is leading eight thousands mermen as well. The feeling is scary, knowing that you are leading massive underwater troops, that you hold that much power. It's even scarier that you are leading them to war.

I put my shield on the ground, leaning it against my left foot and then I take off my helmet; it feels like it's suffocating me. I stare at the blurry reflection of me on my shiny blue helmet. My father gave me a set of armor to be wear, and the armor has the color of corals underwater. The breastplate was blue with strange green markings, and it was as light as feather. The greaves were blue covered with a bit of brown color, they were light as well but it didn't cover my thighs. The gloves felt like it fused with my skin, they were as if weren't there and they covered me up only until the elbow. The shining blue-green helmet was a Spartan helmet with the Y-hole on the face side, my mouth, nose and eyes were free and without the hair kinda thingy on top of the helmet. It felt weird when I saw my reflection, I looked like someone I've known my entire life and yet I felt like I didn't know him at all. I looked like a true hero of Greek, one of the mermen that helped me put on my armor told me that.

For some reason, I'm gasping for air. I feel like I'm sweating, which is impossible since I'm underwater. My muscles are tense and I can hear my own breathing.

Now one thing that I need to do on my to-do-list is to kill my brother, fun. All that these mermen are waiting for is the sound of the horns of war.

I feel like I should make a speech, but I can't think of any comforting words.

The horns of war caught me off guard and then it begins. The first wave of both armies is advancing; all of them is running towards the enemy, three thousands mermen from each army with swords, shields, and spears. They all yell, roar, and shout, ready to create mayhem. The drums then begin to making a loud noise throughout the entire battlefield.

Then the crashing sound of when the two forces meet each other, the sound of battle can be heard. Swords clashing, the shouting, I can hear all of it perfectly.

I stand there in silent, holding my helmet, waiting for the first wave to finish poking at each other. Six thousands mermen standing behind me, waiting for me to lead them.

My eyes are fixated on someone who is wearing a different armor than the grey mermen. He is so far away from me but I can tell for sure, that is the general of the grey mermen, that is Matthew Frost. He is wearing a shining white armor that actually makes him obvious to the eyes.

My heart grows uneasy; do I really have no choice but to kill him?

I shook my head; I know that I will just have to figure that out later when I have defeated him.

The two forces are waning out and I know that I need to advance now. I put on my helmet and then I grab my shield. Riptide in my right hand and a shield in my left.

I turn to the army behind me, I raise my sword and I yell; 'FOR POSEIDON!'

They roar and shout and then I turn around and lead them to the enemy's force with a yell. The enemy is marching right to us as well; we're going to clash at the very middle of this battlefield.

Slowly but surely, we're getting closer, and I can feel every second and every step that I take as I get closer and closer to the first grey merman on sight and I stop hearing any sound at all. It feels like I have gone deaf, whether it's just the adrenaline or something else, the world seems to be quiet.

I bash the first grey merman that I come across upon with my shield, I spin and I slash another grey merman. My ears are still not picking up any sound, but I keep swinging my sword left and right.

Minutes passed and I still don't feel tired. I keep rolling and dodging every attack and slashing every grey merman that I came by upon as the sound slowly coming back to me. I begin to be able to hear the yell and the shouting again.

In the midst of battlefield, my mind has been set on a purpose; to find Matthew Frost. I keep moving and slaying every grey merman that attacks me but I still can't find Matthew.

The bright side is that I can see that somehow, my army is winning. The blue mermen are pushing the grey ones and the grey mermen are in disarray. Then ground beneath us shakes all of the sudden.

It stops shaking but then come the next one and it's even stronger.

_An earthquake? Right now? That's impossible_, I thought.

The ground starts to crack and huge tentacles start coming out from the ground. The width is around the size of a car and it's so long that it stretches from one corner of my eye to the other.

The tentacles begin to whip around, smashing almost anything alive on the ground. Lots of blue mermen got squashed under those tentacles in less than five minutes. One of the tentacles comes smashing right to me but I quickly roll over and manage to dodge it in time as it comes smashing down to the ground.

With one knee on the ground I watch as that something rises from the ground, the body, the source of the tentacles. It covers me with its shadow, around fifty feet tall, the size of a tower in total. A thing of legend, an ancient beast.

The Kraken.


	17. Two Brothers

'By the gods…' I murmur.

It is a huge unpleasant sight.

Risen from the deep, The Kraken. It has the size of a twelve floored building, and it is covered in some sort of black dust all over its body. It has sixteen tentacles, all moves in a flexible way as if the tentacles have a mind of their own. The Kraken keeps whipping the blue mermen all around it; it smashes, catches and crushes everything that is not a friend. Anything that moves and is not grey gets crushed under those heavy tentacles. Its eyes are the size of a monster truck's tires. The color; white with golden-black pupil. The mouth is located on the bottom, right in the middle of the tentacles. The mouth is full of fangs, each bigger and probably sharper than my sword. It breaths the foulest stench I have ever smelled, even from this far I can still smell it. The Kraken looked like a giant octopus with its whole body on a diagonal line and the tentacles running free, only scarier and it gives you the feeling of ancient and colossal.

One of the tentacles comes rushing down, it's fast but I dodge it. When the tentacle hits the ground, a loud crackle noise can be heard. The tentacle is lifted and everything under it, is destroyed.

_Now what?_

I watch the Kraken as it smites my allies. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if this keeps going, we're going to lose.

I look into the face of the Kraken; usually a monster would die if I struck the head. It's worth the try.

I concentrate the water around me, telling them to surge me right to the Kraken's face.

Nothing happened; the water isn't listening to me. I feel strong, like always when I'm in the water, but the water isn't listening to me for some reason.

_Great._

I look around, looking for something that can help me get to the Kraken's face. I stare at the tentacles, they give me an idea. I lose the shield; it would just be on the way.

I start to run around, trying to attract the Kraken's attention; running in circle and yelling. It works; one of the tentacles begins to swirl above me. I readied myself, it comes crushing down and I roll over to dodge it. It smashes the ground and the ground around it trembles.

With one knee on the ground and a really bad balance, I stand up and I run quickly to the tentacle and then I jump and land on top of the tentacle.

The tentacle is lifted quickly and it's not staying still, it swirls and I'm losing my balance. I stab Riptide to the tentacle, trying not to fall. Black blood, leaking from where I stab the tentacle but it doesn't look like the Kraken felt anything when I stab it.

The tentacle begins to stabilize, I try to stand up and find the balance. I pull my sword and then I run on the tentacle all the way to the Kraken's head.

The road seems endless but I know that I'm getting closer. Strangely enough the tentacle that I'm on doesn't shake much anymore. The other tentacles are sweeping through the entire battlefield; I know that I need to move quickly before my army gets wiped out.

Halfway to the head, I feel a strange cold gaze upon me. I look to the Kraken and its two big wide eyes are staring at me.

The tentacle that I'm on begins to shake violently. I stab the tentacle again, trying to hold on, but it doesn't help much this time. It spins around and keeps shaking and then it threw me alongside Riptide off of the tentacle.

I'm floating upside down and a tentacle comes rushing from my left. I concentrate to the water around me to surge me up, but nothing happened, I'm still floating as a perfect whipping target.

When I realized what just happened, I'm already moving at the speed of 80Km/h to the ground. I hit the ground, back first. A small hole is formed when I hit the ground.

I stand up, realizing that my breastplate is broken. I take it off, revealing a bright white vest. I take off my helmet as well, it was limiting my vision. I run again, straight to the Kraken, trying to get closer as possible before it tries to smite me again.

I see a couple of grey mermen charging toward me with their lances. When they got close enough, I jump to his left side to avoid the first merman's horizontal swing then I stab his neck then I pull Riptide almost immediately, land on the ground, duck-spin to avoid the second merman's vertical swing and then I cut his belly. Both lay helplessly on the ground instantly.

The Kraken spots me when I got close enough with it; the foul stench from its mouth is getting more and more clearer. It wastes no time using one of its tentacles to crush me down. I leap to the right, evading the crush.

I stand up quickly, and I figure that I am already close enough to the head. I jump again onto the tentacle. I didn't wait for anything, I quickly stab Riptide to the tentacle and then I run while dragging Riptide with my two hands.

As I slice open the tentacle, black blood comes gushing out from there and the Kraken let out a loud terrifying roar. I didn't care; I keep dragging Riptide as I get closer to the head.

The Kraken tries to shake violently again like before, but I got Riptide deep enough and two hands holding on to it until finally I'm face-to-face with the beast.

The Kraken still tries to shake me off, but this time I decide to let it do it. I wait for the right moment and then I pull Riptide, shooting me quickly to the face. I'm right on the forehead and I stab it, thinking that it would kill the Kraken.

It's still alive. I stab the forehead multiple times, black blood comes gushing out from it but the Kraken is still not dead. Then I look to the eyes.

_Time to get creative._

I run to the left eye, jump into it with my sword pointing down. The eye pops and it feels like stabbing an egg yolk. Black blood gushes out of the eye and I'm inside of the Kraken. Well, inside-ish.

A what it looks like to be a tunnel with walls that looks like black vines, lies in front of me. I decided not to care and just swing my sword wildly, cutting everything I see there. Black blood flows like a river.

Suddenly a grumbling noise from the inside of the tunnel-like can be heard. I stare at it and black blood is flooding out from there with high speed. It shoots me right out of the eye right into the open ocean. I'm thirty feet away from the Kraken and I watch it as it bleeds from the eye and the Kraken stops moving and slowly sinks deeper and deeper.

I can hear the loud cheer from the blue mermen, I don't know what they're chanting, but it's probably something good. I feel satisfied and relieved, but it doesn't last long.

I can feel a mild burn on my skin all of the sudden. I'm still covered in Kraken's blood even though the water should have cleansed it away. A weird static runs through my body, it feels like my skin is shedding as the Kraken's blood is being lifted from me. It doesn't hurt; it just feels like a very mild shock. When I reach the ground, I'm clean from the Kraken's blood.

I feel something is behind me, I turn around and then I see lance being swing towards me, I evade it just in time. A follow up second diagonal swing, I sway to the right and evade it. A spin full-swing from the attacker and I leap backward to evade it.

Matthew is in front of me with his bright shining armor, but that isn't what surprised me. I feel something on my chest, as I slowly gaze upon it, red liquid leaks from it. I touch it, it is definitely blood. It's only a small cut, but I'm definitely got cut.

I stare at Matthew; 'What did you do..?'


	18. Matthew Frost, The First

'What did you do…?' I stare at Matthew, confused.

Matthew takes of his helmet, revealing a European face with a pair of blue eyes. Similar like mine, the color of an ocean. His brown hair falls straight down to his neck. He looks like a street thug, just with armor, better hair, clean face, and a meter and a half golden lance. He is around the same height as I am, probably just a little bit taller. He's wearing a full body armor, like a medieval knight, only his armor is shining.

He throws his helmet to the side and then he looks at me.

'Percy Jackson… I heard so much about you.' He smirks. Matthew has a slight French accent with cheerful tone in it.

I stare at my wound; it's still leaking blood even though the water should have healed it right away.

Matthew looks at me; 'The favorite son of Poseidon thinks that the water is still on his side. Don't expect the water to heal you Percy, it has been set that way the moment you enter the ocean. Don't blame the water though. After all, it is only listening to a higher power.'

I stare at him, confused.

'The power and everything else would still be there, but the water won't heal any of our injuries anymore. Another thing is that, just to be fair, as long as we're here in this battlefield, the water won't listen to us.' Matthew continues.

I look at Matthew; 'Why…?'

'Don't be silly Percy. If none of us can get hurt, the gods would be bored watching us fight.' Matthew replies.

'I shouldn't even be able to get hurt.' I murmur.

'Then it would be boring if you can't get hurt, that you can only be killed by striking your Achilles's heel. It would be one-sided, according to the gods. I was against that actually, I prefer if you could just keep the Styx's blessing, so that I would at least have a little bit of challenge.'

I glare at Matthew; 'How were you able to remove it?'

Matthew smirks, 'I like that Percy, your anger is a delight to me. If you must know how, the Kraken's blood has been rigged by Pontus to do that. Pontus thinks highly of you, he thinks that you will kill the Kraken, that the Kraken's blood will drench you. Personally, I did not think that you were able to kill it, obviously you proved me wrong. The Kraken's blood burns away your iron skin, your Styx's blessing; Pontus has removed that by using the Kraken's blood. I have nothing to do with it.'

Matthew looks amused, probably because of the panicking expression on my face.

I calm myself down; _it's alright Percy. You survived fifteen years without the blessing of the Styx._

I put up my stance and ready to face Matthew.

Matthew smirks, 'Before we do this, how about a story?'

I raise my eyebrow, 'A story?'

'Yes, why not? If you're going to die, you might as well know why.'

'I rather we just skip to the part where I punch you in the face.' I reply.

Matthew smiles, 'Don't be like that Percy. I think you'll enjoy it; it's about Poseidon's true face.'

I put my sword down in response for that. Matthew smirks; I know he can tell that he got my attention.

Matthew begins to circle me, he gazes far like he's recalling some really old memories.

'I was born in the year of 1895 into a French family; a noble family, you might say. Heavily influenced by the British though, a happy family nevertheless.' Matthew smiles, but this time it's a genuine pure smile, not some disturbing smirks.

Matthew continues; 'We live in Paris; me, my mother, and my father. It was tough, being born into nobility and all, you have to learn to be graceful and look educated. Still, it was the happiest moments of my life.'

Matthew pauses, he stops moving and closes his eyes.

He opens his eyes again and there's a sad reflection in his eyes; 'My mother used to wake me up in the middle of the night. She would take me to the back yard and hand me a golden pocket watch. She said that it was a gift from my uncle, my father's brother. Funny thing is… My father didn't have any siblings.'

Matthew swings his lance and the lance turns into a golden pocket watch, he stares at it.

'My mother trained me in the art of spear, I never understood why, she only said that it was for my own protection, I never complaint. It was in my blood, I loved every swing that I made and I was very talented in it. My mother also made me pray to the gods, as she joins me in prayer as well. One god always stands in particular, Poseidon, she always prays for Poseidon to visit her once more. When I turn fifteen, I thought my mother was a bit crazy, but I still loved her and I still pray to the gods every day.' Matthew laughs.

He clicks the pocket watch and it turns back into a lance.

'Then I turn seventeen, and my father decided that we should take a vacation, so we went to England. You see, my mother loved the sea, for some reason she just loved everything about it; the cold breeze, the splash of the water and just the pure smell of the ocean. So you can imagine how thrilled my mother was when my father got us tickets to a cruise on its maiden voyage.'

Matthew's face suddenly turns grim.

'I'm sure you have heard about it Percy, in fact, you might even have seen it. 1,514 people died because the ship crashed into an iceberg. But don't you just find it a little bit odd? How come a cruise with high-tech equipment and advanced safety features at that time, crashed into an iceberg during its maiden voyage?' Matthew looks upset.

I knew what he was talking about. The ship, when Matthew turns seventeen, the year would be 1912.

Matthew continues, there's a painful tone in his voice; 'My mother… She prayed to Poseidon before the voyage… So did I. Poseidon didn't answer our prayer, instead he spits on my mother's face. My parents died in that cruise, I survive because I can breathe underwater. But my mother couldn't.'

I stare at Matthew with anger; 'You blame our father because of an accident that happened ninety years ago? He didn't know about it! If he did, he wouldn't let that happen!'

Matthew laughs, 'On the contrary, Percy. Nothing happened in the ocean without Poseidon's knowledge.'

I shook my head and then I stare at him with pity, 'You're blinded with rage, Matthew. Our father wouldn't—'

Matthew screamed; 'He is not my Father!'

Matthew's face is full of anger. His eyes are full of hatred.

'My father… Died, crushed by rubbles when he went looking for help. My mom and I were trapped in a room, water is leaking out, she held me tight while she prayed to Poseidon. I prayed as well, I was scared, and I put my whole heart praying to Poseidon.'

Matthew pauses, he looks up and there is just so much hatred on his face.

'Poseidon came… Formed from water into the form of a man and it gave my mother false hope. I didn't even remember what he said back then. All I could remember was that my mother begged him to save our lives. Poseidon didn't grant us that, he left us to our death.' Matthew clenches his fist.

I look at him with disbelief in my eyes, 'That can't be true…'

'I watch my mother drown while I feel nothing… I just feel the cold embrace of the water giving me strength as it sapped away my mother's… I would have died as well, if it wasn't for Willy. I was trapped for three days without any food and I couldn't open the door. I was starving… Weak... Doomed… I was about to die, and then the door opened.'

Matthew looks at me and then he laughs.

'I survived. Willy told me everything, about who I really am, about his objectives, about how I can have my revenge on Poseidon if I can be patient. So I did, I waited ninety years to have my revenge.'

Matthew points his lance towards me, 'And nothing will stand in my way.'

I put up my stance again, 'You lied, our father couldn't have possibly done that.'

Matthew smirks, 'I'm done talking.'

Matthew charges.


	19. First Blood

Matthew charges, and he's fast. Before I can react, he's already in front of me; swinging his golden lance. I block it with Riptide but I can feel Matthew's strength, even though I block it, he still manages to throw me off.

I fall to the ground, but I quickly rise up again. Matthew is not giving me time to recover; he closes in quickly and takes another swing. I manage to rise up just in time to dodge it. He follows up with another swing, I duck but he anticipated that and his knee connects to my face; knocking me back down.

I can feel blood running down from my nose. It's a funny feeling that you suddenly can feel pain again after a year being invulnerable.

Matthew smirks; he's enjoying this, but that just pisses me off.

He charges again; swinging his lance but I somersault over him, dodging his lance, he didn't expect that.

I land, turn around swinging my sword at full force. Matthew is surprised but he manages to leap backward in time. The tip of my sword brushes against his full plate and manages to tear of the stomach part a bit.

I didn't stop there; I thrust my sword right to him, he dodge to the right but I react quickly and use a side spinning front kick. It hits Matthew right on the chest.

'Oooff!' He grunts.

The full plate is hard, but Matthew is knocked off the ground. I stare at him.

'I don't want to hurt you.' I say.

Matthew chuckles, 'And you won't.'

Matthew rises and takes off his full plate; revealing a white buff body, like body-builder's buff.

_That explains the strength._

I can see a wide brown scar running diagonally from Matthew's left shoulder to his right side of the stomach. Wonder where that came from.

Matthew puts up a stance, he stretches his arm to the back while holding and pointing the lance at me. He thrusts his lance; it's fast and it made an unpleasant noise, the kind of noise that says 'Get hit and you'll die'. I dodge it, but the lance still brushes against my chest.

'Gragghh!' I groan.

Blood is running down from my chest, it isn't deep but it's painful.

Matthew follows up with a front kick to my right ribs, it hits hard and I fall to the ground.

Matthew smiles, 'My mother would be so proud and happy. Today, I will kill Poseidon's favorite son and champion.'

I breathe heavily, 'Your mother loved Poseidon! How do you think she would feel if she can see you today?'

Matthew gives me a pitiful smile, 'But he didn't love her. He doesn't love me nor does he love you. He has no love for mortals, and why would he? He's a god, gods only care about themselves. My mother is a prove of that; I still remember how she smiles at me during our last moment at that ship. Telling me that everything is going to be okay when it's not. Today he will regret deeply that he abandoned my mother to her death.'

Matthew seems genuinely happy, but the way I see it his expression of happiness is twisted. He's happy like a child's happy, they look normal happy if you don't know the reason why their happy. But I know why he's happy, and that just makes it so wrong.

The odd thing is that I don't hate him or anything, I feel sorry for him. It's like seeing another Luke, but somehow I can understand this one much better.

I look at him, 'You're wrong Matthew. Our father cares a great deal for us—'

'Your father! Not mine! I have nothing to do with him!' Matthew screams and interrupts me.

I keep my calm and quickly reply, 'He's your father, whether you like it or not. Always have been and always will be. I saw him Matthew, he cares for us. He was crushed when he learnt that the only way to save him is for me to kill you, and he didn't want to do that. He tried to send me away, but I know that I can save him, and I can save you too Matthew.'

Matthew flinches, and I could've sworn that he actually looked troubled for a second even though he masked it again quickly.

Matthew sneers, 'Gods, Percy. They tell you anything they like, but in truth is that; Poseidon himself wants you to be here on this battlefield with me. They're gods Percy, and all gods are the same. Even the elder gods that are supporting us, they are the true faces of all immortals. Rotten to the core, we are nothing but dust specks to them.'

I thought to myself, there was a time when I'm Matthew. Thinking that the gods are incapable of human emotions. I know now that he resembles a lot like me in the past, like Luke as well.

I look at him, with sadness in my eyes; 'You're wrong Matthew. They created us; they feel emotions just like us, even greater perhaps. I've seen Hermes, as cheery as he can be; he was angry and sad when his son left us. Zeus, he was concern when his daughter decided to join the hunters. Our father… Poseidon… I saw how much he hated himself for letting this to happen. Matthew, I can tell you that Poseidon couldn't have possibly abandoned you and your mother. He loves you too much to let that happen.'

Matthew glares at me; he's angry, I can tell from his eyes.

Matthew clenches his teeth, 'And yet here we are. You're here with me, dueling to the death. I don't see Poseidon trying to save either of us. He's watching Percy, and he's hoping that you can kill me. Well, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint him.'

I stand up; 'You're wrong. I'm not here to kill you.'

Matthew laughs, 'Then? Are you going to preach me?'

'No… but I am going to save you.' I put my stance up, 'Your mother wouldn't have wanted this.'

Matthew's face is getting red, he screams; 'Don't talk about my mother! You don't know anything about her! And I certainly don't need you to save me!'

I look at him, and I wonder to myself; _if I have never met Annabeth and the others, would this be me?_

I reply to Matthew, 'Yes… You do need me to save you.'

Matthew let out a loud roar then he charges. He swings his lance right down, I evade to his left. The lance's blade comes crushing to the ground; it left a hole on the ground. I swing my sword and graze Matthew's right shoulder. He groans and swings his lance again, I evade it with the slightest movement possible and then swing my sword again; grazing his right side of the stomach.

He's angry, and even though his strength is even more terrifying. His swings are predictable and easy to evade.

He makes another swing, and I evade and graze his chest. He keeps swinging it wildly, and I keep evading and grazing him with my blade. I graze him all over his body but that doesn't seem to slow him down. Finally he makes a full wide swing, I evade this one as well then in continuous motion I slash his back knee; tearing off his right greave, dropping him one knee on the floor and then I slash his back.

He rises up again, but now I'm on the offensive. I swing my sword full force diagonally, from upper left to bottom right while he blocks it with his lance. Swinging it once, then twice; his hands are staggering, I can tell. I swing Riptide once more, but this time I disarm him.

Matthew isn't backing down; he closes in and attempts a wild right swing. I duck, spin and hit Matthew's stomach with a spinning left elbow. Matthew is on my back, he groans, and then I use my right elbow to hit Matthew's right side of the face, while my body is still facing the other way. He staggers, then I turn around, grab his shoulders and then my right knee connects with his stomach. He falls back and makes another attempt to hit me with his right fist; I dodge it, use the hilt of my sword to strike Matthew's right arm; he groans and then another hit to his face. Blood runs down from his nose, he staggers, then I give him a spinning front kick. He falls to the ground.

Matthew lies there helplessly. I point my sword to his throat, but Matthew just stares at me and then he laughs.

Matthew smirks; 'Go ahead. Kill me now, because I swear to the gods that I will not stop trying to destroy Olympus and all the gods within it. Kill me now Percy, make Poseidon proud.'

I breathe heavily, trying to catch my breath. Then I calm myself down.

'No… I said that I will save you, and even though it will take years for you to open your eyes. I'll be there to tell you that your mother didn't want this. She died in peace. That last smile that she gives you, she wasn't lying. She knew that Poseidon would protect you, she knew it all along that you'll live, she knew that everything was going to be okay for you.'

I click Riptide and it returns back to a pen. I look at Matthew's face, he's shocked. Deep down, he knows that I was right, even though he might not realized it just yet.

I turn around and walk away. I place my right hand on my right ribs; I think I broke one or two of them.

Suddenly there's a yell from behind me; Matthew. He charges in again. I react quickly; I click Riptide and it turns into a sword again and before Matthew gets closer to me, I point it to his heart. He stops right when the tip of my blade touches his chest.

Matthew laughs sinisterly, 'You're weak Percy. If you can't even kill me, you will never be able to defeat the rest of us.'

I look at him, resolved. 'Don't worry. I'll save them next.'

Matthew stares at me, he looks surprised for some reason. But then he smiles.

'You're a fool Percy Jackson. But in another life, we could've been comrades… Brothers.'

I reply, 'We still can be.'

Matthew smiles, 'This is my one gift to you… For you to stand a chance against the other sons of Poseidon.'

A bad feeling hits me; I don't like the sound of whatever Matthew is going to give me.

'For you. Brother.' He smiles.

When I realized what he's about to do, I was too late to stop it. He drives himself right through my sword. Riptide pierces his chest right through his heart and all the way out to his back.

Matthew then smiles as blood runs down from his mouth.


	20. Twisted Gods

I watch Matthew smiles even as he plunges to the abyss of death.

His knees hit the floor and my sword is still stuck in his chest, I watch him with horror as his breath getting heavier and heavier.

He looks up to me and with his dying breath he says: 'Sorry Percy… Looks like you can't save me…'

I stand there and I freeze as Matthew falls to the ground and my sword is being pulled out by itself.

Matthew lies there helplessly, and then I know immediately; Matthew is dead.

That is Matthew's gift for me… His death… He wanted me to kill him so that in the future I can kill my other brothers.

I can feel my grip weakening and then I let go of Riptide. I feel nauseated as I keep watching Matthew's cold body. I cover my mouth, trying so hard not to throw up, and then I fell to the ground.

Matthew is smiling, even in his death, and he got what he wanted, I killed my brother.

'The first blood… The most important thing in a war, and you just drew it.' A strange voice comes from behind me. The voice is heavy, it resembles my father, but it doesn't quite sound like him.

I pick Riptide up quickly, turn around and point it at that voice but before I know it, Riptide is knocked out from my hand.  
An old man with a white beard, wearing sandals, a short beach pant, and a colorful shirt is looking at me. He looks like Santa Clause without the ridiculous red outfit and the big belly. I recognize him though, I saw him once at the camp. The old man is Pontus, the Primordial sea god.

'Ah… Yes… The bond of brothers. Nothing is more tragic than two brothers trying to kill each other.' Pontus smiles wickedly.

I had thought that not all of the primordial gods were twisted like Hemera and Nyx, but now I just realized that all of them are the same. They created this sick game and they like it very very much. Hemera, Nyx, Pontus, they are like the Olympians when I first met them, the only difference is that the Primordial gods are exactly what I thought they were, twisted and sick.

'You all are sick and twisted.' I glare at him.

Pontus chuckles, 'I can imagine how upset you are right now, but put yourself in our shoes, my young demigod. We've been asleep for thousands of years. You cannot imagine how bored we are when we woke up, and how excited we were when we found out that the Titans have been defeated by a sixteen years old demigod.'

I clench my fists in anger, 'I killed… My own brother, because you thought that it would be fun?' I approach him slowly, 'Because you sick gods were bored!' I half scream.

I raise my right fist and attempt to hit Pontus in the face. My brain is saying how crazy I am in Annabeth's voice, that I already lost my mind, but I don't care. I'm too angry to think reasonably and my heart is filled with hatred.

It's futile, just as expected. Before I'm able to hit Pontus, he repels me with a shining bright light. He knocks me ten feet away; I feel something just hit me really hard.

'Now now, my young demigod. If it wasn't for us, you wouldn't even know that you have brothers.' Pontus smiles, like what he's doing is a kind thing. 'Although, if you want someone to blame, you should blame your father. After all, it is him who abandoned Matthew and your other brothers.'

I glare at him again, 'My father would have never done that.'

Pontus grins, 'Are you sure? You've heard Matthew's story, I doubt that he lied to you.'

My father… I can ask him. I turn my back to Pontus, there's no more reason to talk to him. It would just upset me even more, and I'm already exploding with anger.

'I know what you're thinking, young demigod. You want to go and ask your father for some answers.' Pontus smiles.

I turn my head to him, 'Are you going to stop me?'

He chuckles, 'Of course not.'

I glare at him but then I set my sight to my father's palace, I start walking.

'Although…' I turn to him again, and then he flicks his fingers and a bright strange round portal appears. 'If you're going to your father, who's going to save her?'

The portal shows the image of a girl, being chased by lots of earth spawns. The girl is hurt, and she's running desperately.

I close in to get a better look, and then I found out who that is.

Pontus turns to the portal; he's enjoying this very much, 'Ah… Yes, the young lovely Titaness. Calypso, was it? Such a shame, to taste freedom after a long imprisonment, only to have it shortly before losing it to the cold touch of death. Oh, and don't even think that she cannot die because she's a Titaness, we made sure of that.'

I'm angry again. I feel like putting a sword in Pontus's heart, even though I know that it's impossible for me to kill him.

Pontus grins, 'So what is it going to be? You can get all your answers you want right now, or you can save your friend. Personally, I would go for the answers, friends are replaceable after all.'

Calypso is running, but the spawns are catching up fast, they're going to catch her sooner or later.

I look down; I can't believe that the Primordial gods are resorting to some dirty tricks like this.

I want to go to my father, I want to ask him if he really abandoned Matthew, or who are my other brothers and why did they all hate him.

I look at Pontus, 'I swear that I will destroy this stupid game, you will all not going to like how it will turns out.'

Pontus laughs in amusement, but I say that to myself as well. I will not play by their rules anymore, and I will make them angry, as angry as I am right now, but for now, I know what I have to do.

I jump to the portal, not knowing where I will end up. I just know that I need to save my friends.


	21. Cathy Jackson

_**So... A month break? Okay? Thanks.**_

* * *

I put two sticks together, rubbing them off with each other, trying to light a fire.

I'm annoyed; it shouldn't be this difficult even though the branches are different from anything that I have ever seen. The type of the trees here are odd and unique.

My hair is wet, from the rain earlier, and it keeps getting on my eyes. I keep blowing them off, but it keeps falling down. One time before, just recently, I actually considered cutting my bang with my knife because it kept getting in my way.

The starry night doesn't help either, with no star to help me find directions. The cold freezes me to the bones. I have nothing to use to dry me off. Somehow, I lost my bag and my friends, literally my friends.

It has been two days and I still have no idea how I ended up in this strange forest. Trees all around me, and they all look like tropical trees; white trees with wide green leafs. The ground is solid brown and no wild animals so far. The rain has been coming down on us ever since we got here, so water hasn't been the problem so far. As for food, there are lots of strange, perhaps even questionable, fruits all around us, but all eatable and none of them is poisonous.

During the day is not so bad, the sun is not blazing hot. It is just the right temperature, compared to the night, which is deadly freezing.

The last thing I remember is being in the plane, sitting next to Percy. Next thing I know is that I'm stranded in a strange forest with only a celestial bronze knife.

The wind blows again, and I still haven't been able to light a fire. The cold is starting to get to me, and I get even more annoyed.

I make a spark from the two branches. I got excited and rub the two branches even faster and stronger. Finally, I'm able to make a fire. It lights up the place and my body. I smile to myself.

I put more branches into the fire slowly, branch by branch until the fire is large enough to warm myself. I move closer to the fire, I don't even care if the fire will burn me alive; all I want to do is just avoid the cold.

I hear a rustle from the nearby bushes; instinctively I draw my knife quickly, facing the direction of the rustle.

'Annabeth, it's me.' Out of the bushes is Lisa Heidi. Yeah, she's stranded here with me.

She looks messed up as well. Her golden hair is being tied up in a ponytail. Dirt is covering her cheeks and she has eye bags, we didn't exactly get much sleep because of the rain. Her white t-shirt is also covered in dirt, and her blue short pants are a bit torn up.

Lisa lost her bag as well. So basically, we're without any nectar, clean shirt, golden drachma or dollar, if we even need one.

The rain washes us every time, but the dirt keeps us away from being clean.

'Hey, you light a fire!' Lisa says cheerfully.

I snort, 'Fourteen times a charm.'

Lisa throws me a watermelon looking fruit and I catch it. The difference is, the outer layer is blue covered with red stars. I decided to just name it Blueredmelonstar, Lisa didn't like it very much.

I split the Blueredmelonstar in two and hand Lisa the other half.

'Did you find anything?' I ask.

'I found what I had found yesterday, nothing.' Lisa exhales.

'So we still have no idea where we are.' I grumble.

Lisa shrugs and then she eats her food. She pauses for a minute, 'I wonder why did they put us here without any guidance or clue.'

I sigh, 'A question that's been asked for too many times.'

'So they do this a lot?'

'More often than you can imagine.' I smile.

Lisa laughs, and then we eat our food in silent. I know that Lisa is pretty tired; she has been looking around all night long.

I finish my food and then I stand up, 'My turn to explore, you get some sleep.'

She lies down on the ground immediately, 'No argument needed.'

I walk three steps before hearing another rustle. I stop walking and then I look around. Another rustle, and this time, I see a shadow passing through the trees.

'Lisa… Did you hear that?'

She yawns, still closing her eyes, 'There's nothing there, Annabeth.'

There's another rustle, even louder this time that I'm sure Lisa heard it.

Lisa wakes up, 'Okay, there might be something there.'

More rustles. Lisa stands up immediately and draws her celestial bronze sword. I draw my knife, ready for anything.

The rustles stop and there's a silent in the air for a few minutes. We stop in our tracks, not moving, still just ready for anything and then finally, a last rustle from right behind us.

We turn around and to my surprise; a little girl is standing right there.

The little girl quickly turns back and then she runs with all her might.

'Wait!' I yell.

I run straight to her with Lisa following me from behind.

The girl is fast, jumping over upward roots and branches, giving me and Lisa a hard time catching her.

Finally we caught up to her. When she's right in my reach; I tackle the little girl down, softly of course.

I get off from the little girl and then Lisa picks her up immediately, 'Who are you!' Lisa's voice is a little bit loud.

The little girl looks around to be the age of ten to twelve. She has long brown hair, twig on both sides running down to her shoulders. She's wearing a brown shirt covered with a black jacket and blue long pants. She has a pair of beautiful blue eyes; it reminds me a little bit of Percy's eyes.

The girl looks scared from Lisa's tone.

'Lis. You're scaring her.' I hold down Lisa's shoulder.

Lisa turns to me, turns to the girl and then turns back to me, 'Right… Sorry.'

Lisa puts the little girl down and I approach the girl slowly.

I lean down to her, 'What are you doing here alone, little girl?'

The little girl seems hesitant, 'I'm here to find my brother.'

I smile to her, 'Does he live around here?'

She's trembling, 'No… He doesn't know that I'm looking for him…'

I look at her confused.

Her eyes seem to be avoiding mine, 'I'm here to kill him… My brother…'

I stare at her, 'Why do you want to kill your brother?'

She says, slowly, 'My other brothers told me to…'

I turn to Lisa; she looks as shocked as I am feeling right now.

I turn back to the girl, 'What's your brother's name..?'

She pauses and she looks at me, hesitant, 'Percy Jackson…'

I look at her with disbelief in my eyes.

She looks me in the eyes, 'My name is Cathy Jackson.'


	22. Familiar Dog

'Are you sure that this is the right way?' Lisa asks Cathy.

Cathy nods and then we continue walking.

We're going deeper and deeper into the forest towards the mountain in the middle of the island.

Yeah, we're stuck in an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, according to Cathy. The island is brand new as well, courtesy of Gaea apparently.

The island is huge and it took us two days to get where we are right now. Cathy knows a lot about the geography of this island, she said that she memorized the map of this island when her brothers gave the map to her.

We were near the beach when we first met Cathy, strange how we didn't spot the ocean though. Cathy said it's normal since there's a magical fog that prevented us from seeing or going to the ocean.

I'm not sure why bother, since we're not even going to set sail into the ocean.

Cathy said that there is a way out of here, it lies at the highest peak of a mountain right in the middle of the jungle.

Everything here is hard to notice since I didn't even spot the mountain until yesterday.

The mountain is high, possibly a couple thousand feet. The forest is surrounding the mountain and so far it's pretty safe.

We've been eating only fruits for the last few days, we've encounter no animal or any living creature so far.

The surrounding becomes more humid as we walk deeper into the forest.

The trees are shielding us from the sun; it's more of a jungle than a forest in here.

It's so quiet, with only the sound of our footsteps and our voice. Even the wind makes no sound here.

It is hard to figure as to why the Primordial gods dropped us here without any notice or any purpose.

I have the feeling that Cathy has something to do with it. She told us that she's here to kill Percy, is Percy here then?

Cathy's last name was given to her from her other brothers. It represents that she is more connected to Percy than to them unless Cathy kills Percy.

I can't understand what's going on through William's head right now, why he even allows this little girl to be Percy's assassin.

So far, Cathy looks fragile and helpless. The other day, she trips and hurts her knee. The poor girl cries her eyes out.

One time, during the night, she crawls right next to me. She said that the darkness scared her, and that the night breeze froze her. I smiled and held her tight as she fell asleep.

Is that the point then? To use the girl's helplessness to assassinate Percy? But Cathy is only just a small girl; she has never taken a life before. I doubt she has even ever fought anyone before.

I don't know why this girl was sent here, but it doesn't really matter now. We need to get out of here first before doing anything else.

Lisa stops walking all of the sudden, and then she just sits there on the ground.

'I think we've walked enough. My feet are killing me.' She sighs.

I see the sun on west, almost setting. The day is almost over and the night is about to begin.

'I'll gather some woods.' I say.

Cathy follows me from behind, 'Stay here.' I say to her.

She frowns but then she walks away and sits across from Lisa. She's still not very fond of Lisa.

I begin walking past giant roots and some really annoying big leafs. There are no branches nearby. I decide to walk a bit further.

Ten minutes later I finally found some small branches lying on dirt ground. No grass grows on this particular site, that's odd.

Nevertheless, I bend my knees and begin picking up the branches from the ground.

The sun has finally set and it's quite dark around here.

Suddenly I hear a rustle, I turn around slowly and there's nothing there. Another rustle, it came from the bushes and this time I can see the bushes move.

I sigh, it's probably Cathy. She has been following me every time I went to gather some woods.

'Cathy, what are you doing there? I told you to stay with Lisa.' I grumble.

The bushes stay quiet all of the sudden. I half expected Cathy to walk outside of that bushes and approach me.

I approach the bushes and there's another rustle from there. I stop but then I approach it once more, 'Cathy?' I call.

I can't see anything past the bushes and the forest seems to be quiet, quieter than the usual.

Then I remember about the movies that I watch; how the horrible creatures jump out from the bushes.

I smile to myself, amused, how that my condition right now is just like that scene in the movies.

To my surprise, I notice two pairs of glowing eyes, glaring at me from the bushes.

My smile fades; I turn around and quickly reach for the ground. Just in time, the creature growls and takes a jump at me at the same time. The creature jumps right past me.

I quickly get up. I wasn't able to take a look at the creature, but I saw two pair of eyes. Were there two of them? Where's the other one then?

I'm not sticking around that long to find out. I run straight back in the direction of Lisa and Cathy, but then the creature takes a jump and past right above me, it lands right in front of me.

The earth trembles, the creature must be really heavy.

It's a lion, or some sort. Half part of it is still being covered by the leafs, the bushes, and the darkness.

It roars. I turn around and run to the other direction.

I run and run in the dark of night, without ever looking back. The creature hasn't caught me yet, but I know he's chasing me. I can hear the sound of trees being brought down along with the creature's heavy footsteps.

The trees are probably the things that are keeping me alive, the creature is slown down every time it hits a tree.

It also means that the creature has massive strength since it's able to knock down all those trees.

There's a hint of moonlight right in front of me, it looks really bright compared to the inside of the forest.

I run towards that light and then I'm out of the forest and into a wide open field.

The field is full of grass and it spreads quite far.

I run to the middle of the field and then I stop.

Everything is quiet all of the sudden. There's absolutely no sound. Could the creature have finally given up?

I look around and there's no sign of the creature. A small part of me is relief, but of course I was never that lucky.

The earth shakes, and it came from behind me.

I gulp, and then I slowly turn around. It's looking at me upclose and growling.

The creature is fifteen feet tall, with the tail of a serpent. It has paws and the body of a lion alongside two heads, dogs. I saw this creature once, a few years ago, during a quest with Percy and that was the cute small version of it. It's Orthrus, the big literal version of it and without its master, Eurytion.

Not even sure if this is the same Orthrus that I've encountered years ago.

'Gods help me.' I mumble as I smell Orthrus rotting breath.


	23. Just Like Percy

A fifteen foot tall two headed dogs is breathing down at me.

Orthrus keeps growling and not the cute small puppy kind; instead it's the kind that can eat you whole at anytime.

I gulp and just stand there, trying not to make any sudden move.

I take one step slowly to the back, one at a time. Orthrus follows with one step forward everytime I step back.

Orthrus hasn't attacked me or anything. That gives me a small glimmering hope that he's docile.

Maybe he's a gift from the gods? Although, somehow I really doubt Orthrus is here to carry us on his back and gives us a ride to the mountain top.

Slowly, I reach for my dagger.

'Annabeth!'

I quickly turn to the voice. Orthrus growls louder, but it's not looking at me anymore.

Lisa and Cathy charge right through the bushes and show up on the field.

Orthrus notices them. It ignores me and charges straight to Lisa and Cathy.

Lisa and Cathy pauses, they're unsure of what to do.

'Run!' I scream to them.

They snapped right before Orthrus reaches them. Orthrus leaps, but Lisa and Cathy rolls to the side just in time.

The ground shatters when Orthrus lands. The beast weights a lot.

_Think Annabeth, think!_ I thought to myself.

Hercules defeated this creature once, but I can't seem to remember how.

Lisa is still down on the ground, and she's not up yet. Cathy quickly stands up but that attracts Orthrus attention.

Orthrus readies itself again, now the beast has set its eyes to Cathy.

Cathy sees Orthrus approaching her, but she froze and not moving.

I grumble. The only thing to do now is to go seaweed brain.

'Hey! You big stupid two headed puppy! I'm over here!' I scream loudly.

It works, Orthrus turns to me.

_Uh-oh. _I definitely didn't think this through.

Othrus charges, it's fast and heavy.

Orthrus comes down on me and I dive to the right side quickly.

I draw my dagger and then I stab Orthrus on its left side, and then I drag my dagger in attempt to cut him open.

Orthrus's skin is thick and I'm only able to cut so much before the beast turns to me and slaps me with its right paw.

Orthrus roars in pain. It knocks me really hard that I land right beside Cathy.

I groan in pain, I feel a stabbing pain on my ribs.

My bronze dagger is still stuck there on Orthrus's skin. Orthrus is still staggering, guess that dagger hurts more than I imagine.

Lisa approaches us quickly, 'Annabeth, I hope you have a plan because I really don't want to be crushed like an olive.'

Like someone just lighted a light bulb inside my head, I remember how Hercules defeated Orthrus.

'Olive! Of course! Hercules used his olive-wood club to beat Orthrus!' I say to the both of them.

Cathy looks puzzled, 'Uhm… So… We need to find an olive-wood club?'

'Yes!' I say proudly, 'We can beat Orthrus easily by that.'

Lisa rolls her eyes, 'You have two flaws in that plan, genius. First, there is no olive-wood club around here. And second, I doubt Hercules's olive-wood club gave him superhuman strength. So unless you can lift a monster truck, an olive-wood club would be useless.'

'Right.' I say awkwardly.

'I think you hit your head when that dog smacked you.' Lisa says.

Orthrus recovers from its stagger. It's glaring at us, and it's angry.

It charges once more, but my focus sight is at my dagger. It fell to the ground as soon as Orthrus began running, around thirty feet away from us.

I look to Lisa, 'I need my dagger.'

Lisa nods to me. I sprint to my dagger while Lisa sprints to Orthrus.

I look to Lisa, as she makes an attempt of a daredevil. Lisa draws her bronze sword.

Lisa dashes towards Orthrus, and right before they hit each other, Lisa leaps to the side, spins and slashes Orthrus's foot.

Orthrus groans in pain, it turns around immediately, roars, and now it only sees Lisa.

I grab my dagger in a hurry to help Lisa, but Orthrus already charges once more.

Lisa dives to the side again, trying to dodge Orthrus's assault, but Orthrus anticipates it. Orthrus uses its left paw and strikes Lisa. It bashes her hard and knocks her twenty feet away.

'Lisa!' I yell.

I dash straight to Orthrus, but Orthrus now has Cathy in its eyes.

'Hey, you big oaf!' I try to get Orthrus's attention.

It didn't work Orthrus charges at Cathy nevertheless.

Cathy just stands there, trembling; I can see the fear in her eyes.

'Cathy! Run!' I scream my lungs out.

Cathy snaps, she turns around and run.

Orthrus chases her, my only hope is that Cathy reaches the forest before Orthrus reaches her. Cathy won't survive an encounter with Orthrus.

I dash as fast as I could, but the gap between me and Orthrus keeps getting wider and wider while the gap between Orthrus and Cathy is getting smaller and smaller.

_Mother, let me make it in time._ I pray to my mother in my heart.

That prayer was cut short when Cathy trips and fall down to the ground. I watch as the horror that is about to happen to Cathy.

Cathy gets up, but she's still on the ground as she stares at Orthrus.

Few things happen quickly; Orthrus leaps, its two jaws are open. I scream out Cathy's name. Cathy closes her eyes, ready to receive the abyss of death.

But the gods weren't ready to accept her just yet. Lisa manages to tackle Cathy to the side and saves Cathy from Orthrus.

Orthrus lands and the ground cracks under him, it turns around and readies itself again.

Lisa isn't getting up; Cathy keeps rocking her, trying to wake her up.

Orthrus charges again, but this time I'm already close enough.

I leap forward and I stab Orthrus's left side once more, this time, attempting to create a bigger wound.

Orthrus roars, it didn't see me coming, but now it does and it is pissed. It knocks me over once again with its paw.

I fall to the ground but I quickly stand up.

Orthrus roars again, in anger. Twice now I have wound it, it's not going to attack anyone else but me.

It readies itself again, ready to charge.

_Think Annabeth, think!_

Orthrus's skin is really thick, so where is the soft spot? The head would be impossible, since it would eat me alive before I'm able to cut his head.

Orthrus charges. I have only a few seconds before it reaches me.

There's only one spot that I could think of that might work.

Well, there's no other option but to try it. It should work.

If it doesn't, worst part is that I will get crushed like an olive.

_That's reassuring, Annabeth. _I roll my eyes.

I dash towards Orthrus, it looks mad, I'm sure. Just moment before we collide, I slide right under Orthrus and thrust my dagger at its belly.

That's the only spot where I could think of attacking. I was right; still sliding, I cut Orthrus belly open.

The splash of blood is drenching me.

When I reach the tail, I stop sliding and roll out of there quickly and turn around to face Orthrus again if it still able to fight.

Orthrus roars in pain and then falls to the ground before it crumbles into dust.

I exhale in relief, my breath is heavy and my energy seems to be fading. All that adrenaline is going away now that Orthrus is gone.

Slowly, I walk towards Lisa and Cathy.

Lisa is up, she's holding her head. I can see a bruise on her forehead; she must've hit her head when she saved Cathy.

'Saw that kill.' Lisa groans, 'You looked like Percy just now, reckless but awesome.'

I snort, 'Percy tends to have that effect on people.'

Lisa smiles weakly, 'Especially on her girlfriend.'

I smile back, 'Next time. Let's just go look for branches together.'

Lisa snorts, 'And no two headed dogs.'


	24. Youngest

'Are you sure that he'll be there?' I ask Cathy.

She nods, 'He told me that there is where he will be if he can get away from the others.'

We're sitting around an aftermath campfire in the morning. We're getting ready on our journey while Cathy is telling us all about her brothers, the sons of Poseidon.

'… Do you really want to go back there? Going back to all those horrible people?' I ask hesitantly.

Cathy is sure that one of Poseidon's sons is going to be there, waiting for us.

She looks down, 'They're the only family that I have left…' Cathy then smiles full of confidence. 'Besides, not all of them are bad. John is always nice to me; he told me that he wasn't even sure that vengeance is the answer.'

Jonathan River or John for short… The youngest of Poseidon's sons.

Cathy told us all about him, how that he is different from the rest. That he might actually support Percy and us in this fight.

Cathy believes that John can help us get out of this island, but I'm still having a hard time trusting an enemy. This all sounds like a trap.

I shrug, 'I don't know Cathy… This all sounds… Too suspicious…'

'If he's that nice, why did he let you go to this island?' Lisa rests her head on her right hand.

Cathy looks sad.

'Lisa's right. I don't think we can trust someone who just tried to kill us.'

'No!' Cathy rises and yells. It surprises both Lisa and I.

Cathy looks down, 'He didn't want to send me here. He was against it. But the others insist and it left him with no choice.' Cathy looks at me with teary eyes, 'He said that he'll be waiting for me on the mountain top… He couldn't have agreed to send Orthrus after us… John isn't someone like that!'

Lisa scratches her head, 'Alright, Alright. Calm your boots.' Lisa looks at me; I smile to her and nod. Lisa looks at Cathy, 'If it means that much to you…' Lisa sighs. '…We'll go there and meet him.'

Cathy lights up like the fourth of July, she waltzes out of our sight.

Lisa looks at me, worried, 'Are you sure about this?'

'We don't have many choices to begin with.'

Lisa looks at the mountain, 'I suppose you're right.'

We follow Cathy up on the mountain, but I carry worries in my heart.

At first, I'm worried that the journey might be too much for Cathy. Strangely enough though, the way there isn't that difficult.

We begin by walking the hillside, even though it's quite far, it's easier and far more safe.

As if mother Gaia has laid down a path for us to walk.

We keep walking as Cathy told us all about herself, where she's born and raised, how she got here in the first place.

Cathy doesn't exactly remember what year she's born. But she remembers Seattle and her mother. She lived with her mother, a travel agent, in peace until the day her mother got into a boating accident a year ago. The sea swallowed her mother and Cathy never heard from her again.

William found Cathy three days after Cathy's mom died.

William said that Poseidon turned a blind eye when the sea swallowed her mother. That Poseidon might as well be the one that killed Cathy's mother.

Cathy has been following them ever since,

John has always been there for Cathy, even when her other brothers were either ignoring or giving Cathy a hard time.

We spend the next two days walking to the mountain top while listening to Cathy about how nice John was.

Lisa looks pretty annoyed but half of the time, I didn't even listen.

My thoughts are filled with something else, Percy.

Is he okay? Are we going to meet again soon? My thoughts are filled with questions like that.

The path to the mountain top consists of the hillside, and the next one is a spiral path leading to the top.

We're getting higher and higher each day, I can see the forest way down there right now at this moment.

It took us three days, but we finally reach the mountain top.

The entrance is really easy to recognize. A platform on the left and right side, with a torch placed in it.

The mountain top is a circle like place, around eight times five meters. There's a big hole in the middle, and smoke is coming out of there.

The smoke finally clears up, and then we see a small bridge right on top of the hole, but it only goes halfway to the middle of the hole.

There are two tall white poles on the end of the bridge. It looks a bit like a gateway, but it's hollow in the middle. I wonder what that is.

A boy is there, standing and staring at something. His back is exposed to us.

'John!' Cathy yells loudly.

The boy turns around, he looks surprised.

Cathy dashes straight to him, she looks happy. She jumps straight to his arm, the boy looks surprised.

We stroll closer to them.

The boy is around the age of fourteen, maybe fifteen. Short spiky dark hair with a pair of blue, slightly green, eyes. He looks a bit pretty, a girl pretty. Like one of those boy band singer. He's about 5'6" tall, wearing a bronze chainmail and blue jeans.

So that's Jonathan River… He has a face like an angel, but there's something about him that disturbs me… Something about his expression reminds me of someone.

Cathy looks really happy, so I try to erase the disturbance in my mind.

The things that happen next are something that I curse the gods for it.

Cathy is still smiling, hugging John. Then she looks at us. Lisa smiles in relief, but I still am unable to erase the disturbance in my mind when I look at John.

Cathy turns to John and everything seems going to be okay. But then John isn't smiling, his expression is as cold as a winter night as he looks at Cathy like she's some sort of a pest.

John draws his knife from his holster on his back waist. I turn grim and I try to shout but the words seem to have stuck in my throat. The words are coming out slowly, and then the thing I fear most happens.

John stabs Cathy in the stomach…

Blood spills down from Cathy's stomach. Cathy slowly looks up to John, her eyes are filled with horror.

John smiles wickedly…


	25. Learning Tricks Under Jonathan River

'CATHY!' I scream my lungs out as I watch blood dripping from Cathy's stomach.

John stands there and he smiles wickedly, I can tell that he's enjoying this very much.

Cathy slowly looks up to John and with her dying breath she says; 'Why..?'

John didn't answer that, he just keep smiling.

He pulls out his dagger from Cathy's guts, and then he kicks Cathy out of his way.

Cathy falls to the abyss, as the endless height below us lighten up and the heat begins to scorch us. There's an active volcano right below us and Cathy is on her way there.

'JONATHAN!' Lisa screams, and she charges to John. Her weapon is on her hand, her eyes filled with rage.

John is amused as Lisa approaches him.

Lisa swings her sword vertically, a full power swing. John easily, and quickly dodges to the right. The sword smashes the ground a bit.

Lisa looks surprised, and in a split second, John follows up with an elbow right to Lisa's chest and a front kick to her stomach.

John knocks Lisa back seven feet away from him.

I run to Lisa, trying to help her up. There's a slight hint of blood on the corner of Lisa's lips. Lisa is holding her chest and coughing really hard as she desperately trying to grasp some air.

'It's odd that you can be so mad because of some little kid that you only knew for a few days died.' John smiles amused.

It's twisted how someone with a face of an angel can smile that wicked.

'YOU KILLED YOUR OWN SISTER YOU BASTARD!' Lisa is enraged. Even though she is still coughing really hard, she still manages to scream that loud.

I look at John with disbelief and I ask him the question that Cathy asked, 'Why..?'

John laughs, 'My sister? That is not my sister. That girl was the daughter of Hermes; she has no relation to us whatsoever.' John has a normal American accent.

'What..?' I'm confused.

John smiles, 'You see, children of Hermes usually have a knack of sneaking around. I always like to keep one around for a special occasion. That's why she was the perfect instrument to assassinate at least one of you.'

'What... Are you talking about..?' Lisa's anger is fading away a bit, but it's replaced with confusion.

John sighs, 'You're a bit dull aren't you? Hermes's children are not known only as thieves, in fact some of the greatest assassins in the world are children of—'

'That's not what I meant!' Lisa yells, and it surprises John a bit. 'What do you mean… That she was perfect to assassinate us..?'

'She was supposed to assassinate Percy…' I almost whisper.

John looks confused, like he has no idea what we're talking about. And then he smiles full of meanings, 'Is that what she told you..?' John laughs, 'She really was a daughter of Hermes. She was supposed to kill you two, that's why she was here. If she was to kill Percy, why would we send her here while Percy is miles away from us?'

I couldn't believe it. What John said, it was disturbing, and yet it made sense. Cathy found both of us, and she stuck with both of us no matter where we went. She did that so she can get close to us, so that she can struck us down when we let our guards down.

'So what..?' Lisa looked angry. 'In the end she didn't kill us. In the end, she helped us. In the end… She was just another little girl that needed someone to be there for her, to protect her…' Tears drop from Lisa's eyes. Her murderous glare is aimed at John. 'After her mom died, that someone was supposed to be you…'

I'm angry. At the fact that John killed Cathy in cold blood. But I'm more angry at the fact that John managed to confused me, to made me feel that Cathy deserved to die. To right his twisted action, John threw the blames at Cathy.

Lisa's right, Cathy stuck with us regardless of what happened. She didn't hurt us despite the fact that there are so many chances already.

John looked like he's thinking, 'Her mother… Didn't she die in a boating accident..?' John smiles. 'Accident, funny word. To describe what happened to her mother, I don't think accident is the right word.'

I look at him with horror, understanding what he meant by that. 'Did you..?'

John smiles happily, like he's proud of what he did, 'That's right, we killed her.'

Lisa looks at him with disbelief, 'You monster…'

John shrugs, 'Well, I killed her. I summon the waves that engulf that girl's mother. The others didn't agree with me, but finally I managed to convince William that it was necessary to our cause. Since he said yes, the others didn't have much choice but to listen.' John smiles proudly.

'It wasn't really hard, you know? Tricking that girl into believing that she was a daughter of Poseidon. The hardest part was to play as the kind loving brother who didn't want to put his sister through so much hardship.' John grins, 'I can't tell you how many times I wanted to kill her when she talked to me. It made me sick that she believed a lowly girl like her was an equal to us.' John spits on the ground.

Never in many years have I seen a man as twisted as the man that is standing right in front of me. Not even the gods can be as cruel as him. How can a man as evil as this be Percy's half-brother?

Lisa regains her breath; she slowly stands up and readies her weapon again. I draw my dagger; this man needs to be stopped.

John widens his eyes, he smiles. 'We can do that and you get trapped here...' John snaps his fingers, and then between the two tall white towers, appears a portal. 'Or… You can proceed to the next stage and get one step closer to your boyfriend.'

Stones begin to rise up at the other half end of the hole.

John turns around and walks on it, he turns his head around, 'Your choice.' He says.

John keeps walking and disappears from our sight, but I know he's just waiting at the other end of the bridge.

Lisa is about to dash to John, but I stop her.

'Another day.' I grit my teeth.

Lisa looks at me and she's not too happy about it, but she knows that we need to get out here now. John said that we won't get another chance.

Lisa walks ahead with her head looking down; she mutters curses, while few tears drop from my eyes. I wipe it out quickly, with one thought in my head.

John is going to pay for what he did, maybe not today, but it's going to be soon.

With that thought and silent in the air, Lisa and I walk through the portal.

I keep in my heart, a small hope that this will take me back to Percy.


	26. A Meeting In A Dream

Where am I? , the first thing that I asked myself when I opened my eyes. The last thing I remember is that I went through the portal to save Calypso.

I remember that I saved her… And then… It's a bit blurry.

I look around and find myself in a long wide hallway. It's dark in here, with only few lights.

White tall big concrete pillars are filling the sides endlessly in my vision.

The hallway is stretched afar from the darkness that is behind me and the shadow in front of me. The hallways is huge, enough to fit a dozen men just in width alone.

The floors are made from tiles, the color of black, white, black, white, and so on.

I hear footsteps, coming from right the darkness behind me.

I stare in that direction, and then a boy walks slowly to my direction.

The boy is around my age, perhaps older than me. He's taller than me, around 6'0" tall. He has a spiky short brown hair, alongside a pair of blue eyes; eyes with the color of the ocean. He has blade scar running across his left eye in an almost vertical line.

There is without a doubt, this boy is a son of Poseidon.

He's wearing a blue hoodie jacket and a t-shirt underneath it alongside a ragged jeans, I can tell that it used to be blue, but the color already fades away, creating a blue-silvery color.

He doesn't look like the sons of Poseidon that I have seen so far. There's just something about him that is different. He has a charismatic aura, like the kind that makes you can trust him with your life in battle. A leadership aura.

He walks closer and closer, but his gaze is strange. It is as if he's seeing right past me, like I'm not here at all.

He walks past me like I don't exist.

I raise my right hand; it's my hand alright. The difference is, my right hand is covered in a white glow. I realize that it's not just my right hand; my entire body is glowing dimmerly with white lights.

I ignore the fact that I'm invisible and am glowing, and I follow the boy. After dozens of steps, we finally reach a room on our right. Lights are penetrating out of that room.

The room doesn't have a door, just a giant gap between the walls to enter.

The boy turns right, and so do I; into the room we go.

This room is completely different from the hallway. The room is circular, with blue large pillars on the side, circling the room.

As soon as the boy and I walk in, we're already on a small blue glass bridge; atop of a pond.

The pond is a small three level ponds, and it's right in the middle of the room; which where we are standing on currently.

The pond is around a meter tall and three meters wide, and there are small steps down from the pond at the end of it. Water just keeps circulating from the top to the bottom.

The entire room, from the floor and the pond to the pillars, all of them are entirely made out of blue sapphire glasses.

Someone else is already on the bridge, looking at the other way. The boy stops walking, and so do I.

It's another boy, with short styled black hair, wearing a short sleeve black shirt and blue long jeans.

The boy turns his head around, revealing a familiar face; Willy.

'Matthew's dead… And so is Cathy…' The older boy says.

Willy faces the other way again, 'That's unfortunate…'

The older boy clenches his fists, 'Is that all you have to say for your dead siblings?'

Willy turns halfway to the boy, 'What else do you want me to say?'

The older boy grits his teeth, 'John killed Cathy… He went against his words.'

Willy turns around, he's expressionless, 'You want me to punish him then..? Very well, I'll talk to him when he got back.'

The older boy's eyes are filled with rage, he's really angry but manages to keep it contained, 'I let John took care of Cathy because he promised that no harm will come to her! You let John killed that girl's mother and look at what he just did! That boy just killed our sister!'

Willy looks down, 'Cathy is not any sibling of ours.'

'She was ready to die for us! She was—' The older boy screams.

'She was not a child of Poseidon.' Willy looks resolved. 'There's no sense in prattling in this matter, especially over some child of Hermes. We all knew that there's a risk in what we're doing.'

The older boy glares at Willy, 'Was Matthew's death worth all of this..?'

Willy stays silent for a moment, 'Matthew died the way he wanted to… He died the way he chose to. He smiled when he died… He died a hero's death…'

The older boy looks down, all that anger turns into sadness quickly for some reason, 'How is that… A hero's death…' He almost whispers.

'Why so gloomy, big bro?' A voice comes out from the shadow behind Willy.

A figure approaches us. The dim lights finally reveal a boy, younger than all of us here. Short black spiky hair with a pair of blue eyes, color of the ocean. He's wearing a bronze chainmail and jeans, odd combination. But without a doubt, another son of Poseidon.

The boy walks up the steps and approaches us.

'Jonathan…' Willy says as the young boy approaches us.

So this one is John. Hard to believe that he ever killed anyone with a face like that.

The older boy growls angrily, but John just smiles amused, 'Matthew died the way he wanted to, isn't that the closure that he always wanted? Now he gets to meet his mother.'

'You gave me your words that you won't harm Cathy, you sick little bastard!' The older boy screams.

John laughs, 'Should've made me swear upon the Styx there, big bro.'

'I could strangle you dead right this moment.' The older boy growls again.

John smiles as if he's challenging the older boy, 'But you won't.'

The older boy glances at Willy. Willy shook his head, and then the older boy turns around and just mumbles some curses.

'Big bro. Before you go…' John says, the older boy just glares back at him with murderous intent, 'Did you manage to get them..? The huntress and the other guy.'

The huntress and the other guy? Are they talking about Thalia and Matt?

'…Yes. They're in the interrogation room.' The older boy says. John is about to say something, but then the older boy points to John, 'You're not allowed to go near them. Else, I would enjoy strangling the life out of you.'

The older boy glances at Willy, and then Willy looks at John.

John sighs, 'Fine…' John looks at Willy, 'Though I have to say. For someone who gave you such a hard time. It doesn't seem that they gave big bro that much trouble.' John shrugs, 'I expected more from the daughter of Zeus.'

The older boy turns back, walking, leaving the room.

'If you want payback, you have my permission to kill them.' Willy looks at the older boy.

The older boy stops at his track. He almost glances at Willy, but then he just keeps walking.

I feel something weird with my body. Suddenly I realize that I'm slowly dissipating, and my vision is getting more and more blurry.

Everything turns dark really quick after that, and then I open my eyes.

I wake up really quick, realizing that it was all just a dream.

Strange thing is, it's too vivid to be a dream. Did that really happen? Did Willy really have a hold over Thalia and Matt?

My memory is slowly returning to me. We're in the middle of a forest, and I remember why.

I went through the portal that Pontus created, and then I saved Calypso. We camped here and now we're around a campfire.

Calypso is sleeping soundly, right across me and the campfire.

I watch the night sky above me, wondering… How's Annabeth doing? Is she safe? Is she injured? Millions of questions about her are right inside my head right now.

I feel a small stab inside my chest right now. I hold my chest tightly, trying to throw away all the bad thoughts that might have happened to Annabeth.

Even so, I still can't get the feelings that somewhere out there, Annabeth lost something important to her.


	27. When Darkness Is Asian

**Hahaha, you guys seriously crack me up with your reviews. I actually laughed when I read it, hahahaha. Thanks for the supports!**

* * *

The first thing that I thought after I woke up is how amazing this place is.

The forest seems completely different in the morning. Tall trees are lining up from one end to another. The sight becomes more vivid. We're on a hill, even though I don't know still where exactly we are. The birds are chirping quietly, you have to be very quiet to listen to them.

It's so peaceful here; even the blue sky above looks calm. White clouds forming and covering half of the sky.

The air here is so fresh, it's entirely different from Manhattan. It smells like something fresh, plants fresh. I can smell the different flowers

Down the hill is a wide green field with a single white building on the far end of it.

I smile and I sprint right down the hill, Calypso follows me from behind. The thoughts of warm food and warm bed comfort me; I suppose it comforts Calypso as well.

We reach the white building, it seems quite normal. The building is two floors, completely painted in white. The doors are all made out of glass, so far as I can see. The green field leads to the second floor though, there's a stair leading downstairs.

The inside of the second floor is full of tables and chairs. There's also a small bar inside, and some of the people inside are dressed in uniforms.

I smile; it's a restaurant.

I slide the door open and then sit at the table near the door that we entered from. Calypso sits right next to me.

A waitress approaches us quickly; she's a bit old, around forty years old. She's wearing a long yellow skirt and a yellow uniform. She gives us the menu and then she waits there.

I open the menu, and the language written there isn't English. Well, it isn't only English. It is written mainly in a foreign language, German I think, with English words under it.

Oh great, I don't have German money, how are we going to pay for this.

'You two Americans?' The waitress asks.

I pause for a bit, and then I smile and nod.

The waitress smiles back, 'What will you two be having?'

I gulp, 'Do you accept American dollars?'

The waitress's smile fades; she shoots me a disbelief look. I want to say that they don't accept dollars here.

Before the waitress or I able to say anything, an Asian man grabs the waitress's shoulder. 'They'll have two roasted chickens, and bring us a pitcher of light coke.' The Asian man says it with perfectly fluent English.

The waitress smiles again and writes it down on her notepad. She leaves us, and then the man turns to us.

It's an Asian man in his mid-twenty, around 5'11" tall. He's wearing a black leather jacket with black t-shirt and a blue long jeans. He's wearing shades and has long dark hair, tied up to the back.

He sits down across the table from us, he smiles.

He takes of his shades, revealing a pair of familiar eyes. His eyes are completely covered in darkness, exactly like Nyx. It's as if that no light can ever penetrate that darkness in his eyes.

'No thank you?' The man smiles, he gives off an uneasy feeling.

No doubt about it, he's a primordial god.

'Depends. Are you going to enroll us into another one of your sick games?' I glare at him.

The man looks amused, 'It's true what Nyx said about you. You really are quite the daredevil.'

'What… are you..?' Calypso looks positively white; she looks scared out of her mind.

The man turns to Calypso, he smiles, 'You must be the lovely Calypso.' He takes a good look at her, checking her out, 'You are absolutely gorgeous. It's a wonder how Aphrodite hasn't smote you down because of your beauty already.'

Calypso doesn't reply, she's trembling and then she looks down.

The man looks a bit confused, but then he smiles, 'That's right, you're a titaness. You can see my true form.'

'What do you want?' I blurt it out.

The man looks at me, 'You're duller than I thought you would be, all serious like that. You should learn to enjoy the little things in life, or you'll never get out of it alive.'

A waitress brings our food and puts it in the table.

The man smiles again, 'Like this chicken for example. You should enjoy it. Who knows –' The man leans forward and grins, 'It might be your last.'

'We'll enjoy it once you leave us alone.' I smile sarcastically.

'Aw… Percy, so grumpy this early in the morning.' A girl suddenly appears behind the Asian man, Nyx.

Nyx is still using the same form that I saw last time, a seventeen years old girl with pitch black eyes. She's wearing a black jacket with black tight t-shirt, black leggings, and black high heels. Never thought that the primordial gods wear clothes according to their personas.

Nyx holds the Asian man's shoulder. 'I see you all met my husband.' Nyx smiles.

'Husband..?' I look at them with disbelief.

The Asian man shrugs, 'Erebus, The Primeval Darkness. It's nice to meet you.' Erebus grins.

'What's with the Asian getup then?'

'I'm glad you ask.' He smiles. 'Recently, I found Japanese people to be very interesting. They were so powerful back then, even the Americans find them very persistent and hard to kill. Even their samurais fascinate me. Besides, none of the other gods is getting an Asian form. It makes me special, don't you think?'

Nyx sits right beside Erebus, and then she gives him a light smooch.

'I think I'm going to puke.' I say.

Nyx turns to me, she giggles. 'Always so grumpy, aren't you Percy?'

Nyx observes Calypso. As if a jolt of lightning strikes Calypso, she's startled and starts trembling again.

'Aren't you cute? All scared like that.' Nyx giggles. 'Don't worry. We won't hurt you.'

I place my hand between them, 'What do you two want?'

'Alright, to business then.' Erebus's smile fades. 'Your next destination is Milan. Someone, well, I hardly think a primordial god is still considered someone; but someone is waiting for you there.'

I pause, 'And who wants to see me?'

Erebus smiles, 'You'll find out if you go there.'

'I don't have a choice do I?' I grunt. 'Where are we anyway?'

'You don't travel much, do you Percy? We're in Black Forest, German.' Nyx says.

That's what you want to hear, to be thousands of miles away from your home. Somehow, I'm not even surprised anymore. These primordial gods are crazy beings.

'You should have no problem reaching Milan then.' Erebus smiles. 'There's also another thing that we need to tell you.'

We all know where this is going. For once I would like to just receive one bad news instead of hearing two.

'There's a war coming, Percy.' Nyx says.

I look at her, confused, 'A war..? Between who?'

Erebus grins, 'Although you slayed the Kraken, the progress of your journey has been quite slow. We're a bit bored waiting for you and your companions to do something interesting. So Gaia has set up her own private army.'

I don't like where this is going, 'Cut to the chase. Who are they marching against..?'

'Who else, silly? They're going to war against your camp. Your friends back in the camp would be fighting Gaia's little babies.' Nyx says gleefully.

'You can't do that! That's not the agreement!' I react quickly.

Erebus smirks, 'Agreement? Did the centaur not tell you? Camp half-blood is part of the game.' Erebus smiles wickedly, 'You all are, a part of this game.'

I clench my fists and my teeth. They're all the same; self-centered with high ego, thinking that they can do whatever they can.

Erebus smiles innocently, 'Your food is getting cold.'


	28. Stadio Meazza

**Sorry lads, been busy with exams. Still is actually. Here's something to hold off till the next one. :D**

* * *

I open my eyes the moment the bus stops. How many hours have it been? I couldn't tell, I slept all the way here. The bus that we took is no ordinary bus, it's filled with different kind of monsters and creatures.

Luckily they all are not aggressive for some reason.

Calypso and I sit at the far back of the bus. Calypso is sleeping, her head is on my shoulder. Both of us are exhausted.

I remember Erebus and Nyx taking us to the train, and not the ordinary one. It was like magic, then again, it WAS magic. Right in the middle of the field, a rail road appeared out of nowhere. The train looked a bit transparent, ghastly. It looked like an old England locomotive that you saw in old movies. It's all brown and black, and it probably still ran on coals. Coals and magic.

Halfway through, the train somehow transform into a bus. For a moment, I thought that the train was some sort of a death trap designed to kill us. Fortunately it isn't.

I wake Calypso up, she still seems to be dazed. The bus driver looks like a normal human, but I doubt he is one.

The driver looks back, 'Percy Jackson, this is your stop.'

I exhale, I grab Calypso's hand and then I lead her off the bus. None of the passengers is even looking at us. It creep me off.

The night wind in Milan blows swiftly on my face. Calypso yawns, and then I look around.

The bus behind us left quickly, it speeds off quickly and turns invisible.

I'm surprised when I realized what we're standing in front of; Stadio Meazza. I watch the soccer games here from television all the time.

There's no one around, but I can hear a low rumble from inside of the stadium.

Is there a match going on inside?

The gates are opened; it's like a subtle invitation to just go in. Calypso and I approach the stadium, and the rumbling gets louder.

We enter, and there's a sign above us; _**Ingresso 3**_. There's also a word "gate" below it. I guess that means Gate 3.

I look around, looking for an entrance to the inside of the stadium when suddenly, the wall in front of me opens up, just the size of a door.

I gulp, this never leads to anything good. Calypso holds my hand tightly, she looks worried. I guess she's as concerned as I am.

I put up a reassuring look, and then we both enter the opening.

The moment we step inside, I can fell grass under my shoes. Brilliance flash of lights shoot my eyes, it takes me a few seconds before I can see anything. The rumbling suddenly grows, the audience screams their cheers and the stadium seems to be shaking. The audiences' roar is even more overwhelming than I ever imagined it would be.

I look at all of them, they all look human, and the stadium is full of them. But something's strange with their eyes and stares. It's like they're brainwashed or something.

What I'm wondering about is what they're cheering about, that is until their cheer starts to get clearer and clearer.

They're chanting my name. I can hear it clearly now, but I don't know why they're chanting it.

Calypso let go of my hand and then she squeals, and screams my name.

I turn around quickly and then I see her being lifted to the air by an invisible force.

'Percy!' She squeals.

'Ladies and Gentlemen!' A voice suddenly comes out of nowhere.

The voice comes from the speakers, but I search around, looking for the person that is behind the microphone.

'As you can see… The main entertainment is right here with us.' The voice sounds cheerful, like the ones in those game shows. 'It is my great honor to present to you, my very own dear brother, Percy Jackson!'

Brother? It surprises me when I heard that. I search frantically for the source of the voice.

'And now… Ladies and Gentlemen. The opponent for this son of Poseidon!'

The half of the grass field opens up, and there's a sound of an elevator. It slowly rises up and reveals a monster.

'Give it up for! The Hydra!'

A massive monster-like dragon is there, standing twenty feet away from me. With green scales and white belly. Razor sharp fangs with cold blooded eyes. The creature stares at me, and I could've swore it grins.

'Now, Ladies and Gentlemen! Let the dinner entertainment begins.'


	29. More Heads, More Troubles

**_Hey, sorry guys, three months is a long time. Studying for finals, same old same old._**

**_Here's a new one, don't sue me please, if you understand what I'm saying._**

* * *

I'm really starting to get sick of all of these. I mean, all I wanted to do was to enjoy this peaceful year in camp half-blood. I mean is it too hard to ask for something as simple as that? I have a beautiful girlfriend, my relationship with my dad was great, surrounded by friends. But Percy couldn't have that, could he? Nooo, Percy has to defend Olympus, again!

So what is good ol' Percy doing right now? Oh, probably being chased by a thirty five foot hydra. It's not a big deal, let's give the hydra teeth that can tear you to shreds just like cutting a butter with a sword. ALSO don't forget to add the acid spit, I'm sure Percy can handle it, he can handle anything.

I keep thinking that is what the old gods are saying while sipping their nectar tea or something. It might not be true, but it angers me still.

At this point, I'm just running around in circle with the hydra chasing me endlessly while spitting acid. So far, it almost bit me twice and almost melted my face thrice.

I faced a hydra once a long time ago, of course that one is much smaller and less angry than this one. This one is different. It has a massive giant body with two giant legs and green scales like the scales of a snake. The tail is about fifteen meters long, and it looks like it can crush you with just one swing from its tail.

The massive football field is surrounded by thousands of chairs, and every seat is filled. The brilliant shining light, the roaring of the crowds. In different circumstances, I might like their cheering. Of course in those circumstances, I would be wearing a football jersey.

'Well the ladies and gentlemen! As you can see, this thirty foot hydra is well equipped with teeth sharper than the most honed blades, I sure as hell do not want to get touched by that!' The commentator says gleefully, 'Not to mention with his acid spits, it melts rock within seconds! Ouch, I do not want to touch that. But did I say what my favorite part from this hydra is?'

I feel the heavy stomps of the hydra stopped. Still running, I turn my head around, the hydra opens his mouth widely. From there, as if fire is gathering in his throat, it swells up really quick.

'FIRE BREATHING!' The commentator shouts.

The hydra lets out a massive inferno out of his mouth. I can feel the heat as the fire quickly reaches me. The heat reaches all around my neck and hair. I jump over to the side quickly, the fire misses me by a second.

It crashes into the ground near the goal post; it melted down the goal post and almost hit the spectators. The fire leaves a giant black mark, turning green grasses into a pile of black ashes. Some of the grasses are still on fire.

'Courtesy of the elder gods.' The commentator says happily.

'Percy!' Calypso yells.

I was only exposed to the heat for a couple of seconds, but already my forehead and my back is wet from my sweat. I can feel my breath getting shorter.

'Andddd, let's not forget! Head multiplication!' The commentator seems to be enjoying this to the fullest.

The hydra stops, and around its neck, there are movements. Two new hydra heads sprouts of from the hydra's side of the neck.

I really hate that commentator guy, more so if he's really my brother.

They're all alike with razor sharp teeth, and hungry eyes. Their eyes might as well say, 'Hey! Let me eat you, I'm hungry!'

'PERCY! PERCY! PERCY!' The crowds starts to chant my name even louder.

'Well then, will the public hero, Percy Jackson survive this fight? Come on Percy, people came to see blood! Now then people, you're going to need to chant louder if you want Percy to hear it!' The commentator says.

The stadium seems to be shaking with the crowd roaring my name; it would've felt good if I don't have to face a hydra.

'As you may remember ladies and gentlemen, our hero, Percy Jackson killed a hydra once. Of course, the last one that he slew was the modern version of the hydra. This one unfortunately, is the REAL ancient hydra, just like the one that Hercules slew.' I can feel the commentator smirking even without seeing him.

Last time Clarisse blew the hydra to pieces with a gunship, but right now there is none to be found nearby.

Hydra… Hercules killed one a long time ago, but for the love of me, I can't remember how he did it. I groan, Annabeth mention it once, but it was a few years ago. The only thing I remember is that if you cut one head, it'll grow two more heads. I guess that seals down the option of cutting its head.

_Think, what do I need?_

This is pointless, I can't remember it even to save my life. Where should I strike then? The white belly might be a good idea, it seems vulnerable. I can just slit it open if I can get past that three heads.

The hydra charges right toward me, and for something really big, it's really fast. The hydra closes in on me for every second. Every stomp it makes, shakes the ground that I'm standing on. I charge forward in return for its movement.

Suddenly the hydra stops, I wondered why but I keep moving forward. And then I feel a long shadow right above me. The hydra's heads are coming after me, while the body is still meters away from me.

One of the heads tries to snap me, but I duck just in time.

The second one approaches me in an instant; it opens its mouth widely. I can smell the rotting acid from the hydra's throat. I can see its teeth, ready to chop me into pieces.

I dodge to the right, but one of the teeth scratches my left arm. Reactively, I raise my sword and slice the hydra's neck, cutting its head off.

'Ooofff! That has got to hurt! But boy, beheading a hydra, what a mistake to do that!' The commentator says.

_Uh-Oh_ I thought to myself after realizing what I just did.

The neck that I chopped of its head starts to squirm. It squirms really hard until finally the neck splits and they both grow a head. Now it has four head.

The two head that just grow back open their mouth wide, flames start to spark inside their mouth. The two head blast fire from their mouth, bigger than the last one, twice as big so to speak. I jump over to the side but the blast hits the ground, and the recoil hits me. It throws me twenty feet away from where I was.

The hydra isn't done, it takes another two giant steps toward me while I desperately trying to get on my feet.

I feel dizzy, and it seems really hard to find my balance. I feel like I can just fall back to the ground really quick, but that would kill me. My ears are ringing really hard up to the point that I can't hear anything but the sound of buzzing.

I can see the blood on my left arm, my blood, but at this point I can't even feel that wound.

All four heads of the hydra approach me at the same time with hunger in their eyes. I regain my balance just in time, even though I'm still a bit dizzy.

The four heads come snapping at me. I dodge them one by one, approaching the hydra's belly. The heads move at deadly purpose, but I dodge them all. Somehow, it feels like they're moving a bit slower than they were before.

I got through and the heads stop coming after me. I turn around a bit and then I see the heads are tangled with each other. I charge forward to the belly and I plunge my sword there. I feel somehow much stronger, I slit the hydra's belly wide open easily, like cutting butter.

Black blood pours out of there as the hydra groans in pain. The blood showers me almost immediately.

The commentator laughs, 'Bad choice there, brother.'

I feel the blood burning away my skin, I scream in pain as the burn gets more and more intense, as if I'm taking a bath in a pool of acid. I let go of Riptide, and fall to the ground. I roll over on the ground and squirm in pain. The pain is almost as bad as the Styx.

'NO! PERCY!' I can hear Calypso screaming.

'Hydra's blood is poisonous, don't you know?' The commentator says.

I don't know how long it lasted, all I know is that I lost track of time as I squirm in pain. Now the pain is gone, but I feel numb. My whole body feels petrified, I can't move. I can't feel any strength from my arms or my legs.

'I guess it's game over then, it was nice knowing you brother, but then again I doubt you're a son of Poseidon. No son of Poseidon is that weak.' The commentator laughs.

_Move you stupid body._ I keep shouting inside my head, but I still can't move.

Every sound seems to be fading away. The audiences' cheering seems to be fading away. I can see Calypso, she keeps screaming my name, even that starts to fade away as well.

My skin stops feeling the breeze, even the grass under me no longer tickles.

I can see the hydra's head, already untangled. The hydra takes a few step back. Its heads slowly slither to me, like trying to decide how it's going to eat me.

My sight begins to fade away as well, but I know what's happening, I'm closing my eyes unwillingly.

Strangely enough, as everything fades away, sound begins to come back. Even the roaring of the crowds return to me.

'PERCY!' I can hear Calypso's scream. That's odd.

Suddenly I can feel the wind again on my skin, the grass tickling as the wind blows them. My sight becomes clear again. Slowly, I can feel the strength in my arms.

'No! This is not how it's supposed to be! Hydra! Kill him now before he wakes up!' The commentator shouts frantically.

I realized then what's happening. I can feel water dropping from the sky, touching my skin gently. As every drop of water falls, I regain more and more of my strength. Within seconds, it starts pouring down like a waterfall.

Rain, like a gift from the gods, or perhaps it's just a coincidence? Either way it's something that had saved my life.

I can see the burn marks on my arms begin to wash away, my wounds are healing.

The hydra's four heads come at me at the same time, but I feel strength, nothing like I have ever felt before. There's no time to dodge, so I focused on the earth that we're standing on. The earth shakes violently and the ground that the hydra stands upon falls apart, it throws the hydra off balance.

I feel my strength being drained away really quick, but it saves me enough time. I roll over away from the hydra.

'NO!' The commentator shouts.

I put some distance away from the hydra, while it tries to get upon stable ground. I stand up slowly, and then I smirk. I feel satisfied now that the commentator is upset.

I feel more power than even when I was usually being in water, it's odd, but it's good.

The hydra regains his footings but I feel like even I can take him on bare-handed. I focus on the rain, the drops of water around me stop in midair. I mold the water around me into water spears, hundreds of water spears begin to form around me.

The hydra charges, but the water spears are ready. I smile happily. I shoot all the water spears toward the hydra.

The hydra roars in pain as the first couple spears pierce right through the hydra, and then the roar stops as every spear pierces right through the hydra, tearing it into pieces. The spears rip the hydra quickly, not even giving it enough time to regenerate its head. Finally every head that the hydra possesses are cut off, and all that is left from the hydra is only half of his body. The remaining falls forward to the ground.

I look around, looking for that commentator, and then I see a big white box, at the far end of the stadium right above the spectator seats. I can see someone in there, the commentator.

The rain slowly stops. It drained me almost dry from what I just did, but I still have enough for one last trick.

The rain finally stops, and then I form a trident made from water in my hands. I throw the trident, aiming for the big white box. The trident pierces right through the white box; it staples the commentator to the wall behind him. His neck is stuck on the gap between the trident's blades.

'Yeah, I think I am the son of Poseidon.' I smile.


	30. Being Honorable Alongside Yukimura Snow

All the pain in my world has been replaced with exhaustion, but alongside it, is satisfaction. My injuries are all gone, but I feel tired. Even so, I stand straight with a smug face that I know it's there even without looking at the mirror.

Taking out that Hydra took a lot more energy than I thought. I feel that the strength within me is depleting really quick, but there's no way I'm going to show it to them.

The crowds have gone silent ever since I threw that trident to the commentator. There's nothing else but the subtle sound of the wind in the air.

For a minute there, I thought the spell that has been casted upon them is gone, but then I see their eyes and it is still empty with no purpose. They're still under a spell, which still makes them zombies.

From the white box up above, I can see something is going down, glimmering and engulfed in bright lights. It's like the bright light is on an invisible escalator, going down towards me. Slowly, it finally stops on the ground and right in front of me.

I glance back, and I see Calypso is still in the air. I guess that means this isn't over yet.

The white light dissipates slowly and reveals a young kid, probably around fourteen years old. He has short spiky dark hair, with a pair of blue eyes. I recognize that face, his face glimmers with the kindness that angels probably emit. He was the boy in my dream, the one that I saw with Willy.

There's no doubt about it, he's my brother.

'Wow, Percy. You almost killed me there.' The boy said gleefully with a smiling face, but I can detect a hint of anger in it.

'I missed on purpose.' I said it to him with a straight tone.

The boy chuckles with a bright face. I swear if he didn't try to kill me just now, would have thought that he's just an innocent boy.

'You know. I really like you.' The boy shrugs, 'You impressed me in a lot of ways.'

I raise an eyebrow, 'I thought I wasn't good enough to be a son of Poseidon?'

The boy laughs brightly, but the more he laughs, the more I find myself to be even more cautious. I know that I said I wanted to save all the other sons of Poseidon, but there's just something about him that creeps me out, regardless of that innocent face.

'Let Calypso go.' I said to him.

The boy chuckles, 'I would, really, but I was thinking to bring her to William.' The boy smiles wickedly, 'I hear she has a personal attachment to him.'

I swing my sword once in the air, making a sharp cutting noise, 'I won't ask again.'

The boy looks at me with a straight face, and then he grins, 'I don't want to fight you, but if you still want to fight…' The boy points to an entrance behind him, where football teams usually enters. We can see that a guy is walking towards us.

'He'll fight you.' The boy grins.

The guy gets closer and closer to us, and then he stops right behind the boy.

I examine him. He's an Asian guy but with a hint of westerners, around 5'11" tall, with long black hair. He also has a pair of blue-green eyes, the color of the ocean. He's wearing a black jacket and a black sleeveless shirt underneath it with dark blue jeans. He's also wearing a pair of sapphire rings on each of his ring finger. There's something weird about his expressions though, there's nothing that I can read from him. He basically has no expression on his face, just like a robot.

The boy grins, he looks like he's enjoying this, 'Meet Yukimura Snow. Half-Japanese, master of a dozen different martial arts, and also…' The boy pauses, 'A son of Poseidon, our brother.' The boy said gleefully.

Yukimura glares at the boy, 'He can't even be stand up for much longer, John' He said with a perfect English accent. Yukimura turns around; his expression indicates like he has just been insulted, 'I'm not going to fight someone who's half-dead.'

Yukimura takes a few steps away from us, but the boy says in a cold tone, 'You will do as I say.' The boy turns to Yukimura, 'If you ever want to see that locket again of course.' The boy smiles grimly.

Yukimura pauses. He turns around again and then he walks past the boy. He doesn't look too thrilled, in fact he shot an angry glare at the boy.

Yukimura looks at me with pity, 'I'm sorry... But know that I hold no honor in this fight.' He takes off his jacket, revealing a buff body. It's not like the kind of buff that you get from going to the gym everyday. His buff is kind of like he's still a bit slim, but his muscles look stone cold hard.

'… We don't have to fight.' I said to him, but somehow, looking at his eyes, I know that there's nothing I can say that would change his mind.

Yukimura presses his rings, and then his rings wrap his hands with some sort of blue metal. His rings turn into a pair of gauntlets, but it was nothing like I. The gauntlets' color is the color of water, but somehow I can the color waving around, like seeing an actual surface of the sea. It's like the sea has taken form into gauntlets. The gauntlets glimmer with blue lights that I can feel the warmth of the sea. I can smell, hear, and sense the sea from those gauntlets.

Yukimura puts his fists up, ready to engage me in a duel.

I find myself in doubts. Matthew died by my blade, and that fear has taken grip of my hands. What if I killed this one as well?

I wasn't given the time to think. Yukimura charged forward; he closes in and swings his right fist towards my face. I duck quickly, but Yukimura anticipated this and use a quick spinning elbow, it hits me straight on the cheek. I recover quickly, and then I swing my sword vertically. Yukimura moves one step to the side, dodging my attack, and then takes a step closer and hits me in the ribs. It's like there's a sharp electric current running through my body. I feel numb, my body wouldn't listen to me, and the next thing that I see is Yukimura's left fist.

I fall down to the ground, but I get up real quick. I feel blood filling my mouth. Fatigue is catching up, my breath is getting short. Yukimura dashes to me, in reaction, I swing my sword horizontally. Yukimura disappeared by the time my sword reaches him, in a split second; I have no idea where he is. A shadowy figure then approaches me from above, I see him then immediately. Yukimura jumped, but it was more like flying since he jumped over one and a half meter high. Yukimura, still in the air, swings his right feet and kicks me in the head. For a moment, everything goes silent, and everything is shaky. I stumble, and with my blurry and shaky vision; I see Yukimura lands on the ground, he rolls to me, and with one swift movement, he grabs the back of my head with one hand, and connects his left knee to my face. It hits me hard, and I fall to the ground once more.

'Percy!' Calypso screamed.

I feel blood pouring out of my nose. I feel weak and tired, and then I can see the boy, smiling wickedly. I can tell that he's enjoying this very much. Yukimura gives me a painful look, like he doesn't really want to do this.

'Well? What are you waiting for?' The boy asks Yukimura.

'It's over. He doesn't have any strength left to stand.' Yukimura said with a straight face.

The boy looks annoyed, 'It's over when he's dead. Now finish him.'

Yukimura stays silent, while I try to gather some strength that I have left. The boy looks angry.

'Do you want your locket back?' The boy asks.

Yukimura shoots a murderous glare at the boy.

The boy grins, 'Well?'

Yukimura clenches his teeth. He puts his fists back up.

'Get up.' Yukimura said to me.

I look at Yukimura, 'Why are you doing this?'

Yukimura looks a bit confused with my question.

'What can you possibly have against Poseidon?' I look him straight in the eyes.

Yukimura stays silent, and then he puts his fists down. 'No… Not him.' Yukimura said. 'The whole Olympus… All of them must pay.' I can see the pain and the resolve on his face.

Yukimura puts his fists back up. He's not going to say anything more, that much I can tell.

I grabbed my knees, and then I slowly try to stand straight. I have to beat this guy if I want to save him. I know now that it's the only way for them to listen.

Yukimura looks surprised, and then he smiles. 'You found your resolves.' He puts back his serious face, 'Come!'

I charge straight to him. I swing my sword relentlessly, but he keeps dodging them. The way Yukimura dodges, it's like he's dancing. Then it's Yukimura's turn, his punches are like bullets, it's fast and sharp. I keep dodging his punches, although it feels I'm being barraged by a hail of bullets. Yukimura dashes in even closer, he gets into a lower stance, and then his right fist turns into a full power uppercut. I dodge just in time, but his fist still grazes me. Even though it's only a graze, it still manages to put a straight cut on my cheek.

I react quickly, before he gets back to his stance, I swing my sword downward, but Yukimura blocks them with his gauntlets. I keep hammering him down with Riptide, and then I see he looks troubled. Finally I hammer him down one last time, and then with one quick movement, I spin to the side and graze him on his chest; it shocked him, and I know that his hands are still numb from blocking my sword. I take two quick step forward, and about to slam the hilt of my sword to his jaws. If I can get this one clean shot, I might knock him unconscious right away.

It seems that it's going to be over quickly, and then it happens. I feel a sharp pain from my back, and everything else seems to freeze at that moment. My entire body freeze, in reaction from that pain. I can see Yukimura's face, he looks horrified and shocked. I slowly look back, and there he is. The boy plunged a knife in my back.

'Percy!' Calypso cried out, but even her voice begins to fade.

The boy takes out his knife from my back. The knife is just like Yukimura's gauntlets. It's like sea in a form of a knife, but now it's drenched in my blood.

I see the boy, with his twisted expression and with his twisted smile. And then… Everything fades.


	31. Just Once

**Sorry. I'll try to post faster from now on.**

* * *

'Percy!' I scream frantically at the sight of what's happening.

Percy has been stabbed from behind by the young boy. Percy freezes there, he's staring at the boy but his stare is empty. I keep screaming out his name, but he doesn't seem to be able to hear my voice.

Percy falls to his knees first, and then a couple of seconds later, completely on the ground.

_Oh, gods..._ I murmur in my thoughts.

I panic, and then I start to struggle. Whatever that's holding me though, is determined not to let me go. It feels like a giant invisible hand is holding me tight.

'Let me go! Let me go!' I yell and struggle, but it bears no fruit.

I scream Percy's name again, trying and hoping that he'll move. Praying that he can hear my voice, stands up, and beat his opponents. But Percy's not moving, no matter how much I screamed out his name. He simply just lies there helplessly on the ground. Fear begins to invade my mind, and with every scream, the hope that Percy's alive is chipped out bit by bit.

The young boy seems proud and happy of what he just did. Yukimura, on the other side, looks really angry. He glares at the boy.

'Why did you that?' There's anger in his voice. His hollow expression begins to change into rage.

The boy shrugs, 'You were in trouble, so I gave you a helping hand.' The boy grins.

Yukimura's eye twitches; he's about to explode, 'You manage to even taint an honorless fight.' Yukimura said to the young boy, like he just did something really unbelievable.

The boy smiles innocently, but now to me it looks like the smile of a demon, 'Well… Good then. You can't really dishonor a fight that has no honor to begin with.' The young boy punches Yukimura's shoulder lightly. 'So it all works out in the end.' The boy smiles happily.

Yukimura snaps, and in that instance, he looks really scary. He grabs the young boy's neck, and then he chokes him. Yukimura's rage is shown right in his face and eyes. He slowly lifts the boy up.

The young boy struggles, he grabs Yukimura's arm, trying to make Yukimura releases him. Yukimura isn't budging, he stands there like a statue while still choking the life out of the boy.

'Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now.' Yukimura said.

The boy tries to speak, but he can't because of Yukimura's grip. He finally lets out a word, 'Locket.'

Yukimura pauses, he seems reluctant to let the boy go, but finally he throws the boy fifteen meters away from him.

The boy falls to the ground hard. He slowly tries to stand up, while gasping for air. He rubs his neck, like it really hurt. Yukimura left a red hand mark, wrapping the boy's neck. A small part of me feels satisfied that he was in a lot of pain.

Yukimura approaches the boy again. The boy slowly looks up to Yukimura, he looks cautious.

'When I find that locket, you'll be the first person that I will hunt down.' Yukimura looks disgusted by the boy's presence.

Out of nowhere, the air that's holding me dissipates completely without so much of a warning. I fall to the ground, and in reaction, I yelp and close my eyes; bracing for the impact of the cold hard ground. Somehow, instead of a hard ground, I fall onto something that's kind of hard, but also kind of soft. Like someone's arms.'

I open my eyes and it surprises me. A big guy with a blade scar running across his left eye almost vertically is carrying me. His stare though, is fixated upon Yukimura and the boy.

I yelp in reaction of seeing him, and then I struggle again.

'Let me down!' I demand, still struggling.

The big guy looks like he just remembers me. I think he's about to let me down easily, but I'm struggling, and the moment my feet can reach the ground, I jump off the big guy's arms. I dash to Percy, almost tripping, and then I crash to the ground right in front of Percy. I get up, with my knees still on the ground, and then I get closer to Percy.

'Percy! Percy!' I shake his body almost violently. I don't care, as long as he wakes up, he can complaint how much it hurts. He still just lies there in silent.

I can see the wound, it's quite severe. I begin to sing, believing that my magic can heal him.

Suddenly a shadow covers me. I glance behind, while still singing, and then I see the big guy. I thought he's going to stop me, but he has his back against me instead. I can see the boy just a few steps away. He must've tried to approach me when I wasn't looking.

'Marcus…' Yukimura calls the big guy with caution. Yukimura seems to be worried of what Marcus might do.

Marcus ignores Yukimura's call. His eyes seem to be looking at the boy, fixated on him.

'This one is not to be touched.' Marcus said.

The boy poker-smiles, 'I thought she might be a good present for William.'

'This one… Is not… To be touched.' Marcus declared with a loud, strong, and clear tone.

Marcus is around 6'1", 6'2" tall, but he looks really buff, it makes him look even bigger than his actual size. One look at him and you can tell that he's full of charisma, he's a leader type.

I can't see what kind of face Marcus is making, but it must have been scary since the boy takes a few steps back.

I sing and sing, but no matter how much I sing, Percy's wound isn't healing.

Why isn't my magic working? The voice in my head begins to sound frantic. Why isn't the wound closing!? Why is he still unconscious!?

I shake Percy's body again, 'Work… You stupid magic… Work…' Without even realizing it, tears begin falling down from my eyes.

I keep singing, hoping that it would work, but the wound is still wide open. It's like something inside the wound is blocking my magic.

I try to wipe my tears, but no matter how much I wipe, it keeps falling down. No matter how much I try to keep them at bay, it's still leaking out.

'Why won't it work...?' I'm still trying to wipe my eyes, but I keep sobbing.

Just like a waterfall, tears keep falling down from my eyes.

'Percy… Please wake up…' I finally let out all the tears.

I realize how helpless I am right now. Percy saved me again and again, he even promised me that he would bring Willy back. But why is it now that he needs me, I can't even do anything to help him. I'm completely useless, if I hadn't been here, Percy could've run away. He wouldn't have to fight that horrible monster. He wouldn't have to fight his brother.

_Willy… Help me…_ My thoughts cry out Willy's name, wishing that he would come and make all of these, right.

Marcus glances behind, he then turns back to his brothers, 'Leave now.' Marcus ordered. There was no argument in his voice. He made it perfectly clear for both the boy and Yukimura.

After a couple of seconds, I hear a strange sound, and after that the presence of both the boy and Yukimura disappears.

Marcus crouches beside me. He grabs my arm, 'We need to leave.'

I shook his hand off. I keep crying like there's no tomorrow.

Marcus grabs my arm again, 'We need to leave, it's unsafe for you to be here!' Marcus said.

I shook his hand off again, and then I yell right in front of his face, 'NO!' I keep sobbing, 'I'm not leaving him behind!' I declared.

Marcus seems troubled, 'I will take you away from here, even if I have to use force.' He threatened me. 'So it's best if you just come with me easily.'

Even his threats couldn't stop my tears. I keep crying, 'I'm not going to leave him! He promised me… He promised me that he's going to bring Willy back…' I cover my eyes, trying to shut off all the tears, 'I need him back… I can't leave him behind… I need him so we all can go back together…'

Marcus looks at me, worried. Then he examines Percy's body with his eyes.

He sighs, 'You might be right.' Marcus stands up.

I look at him, confused of what he's going to do. He takes out a small bottle of water. He crouches down again, and then he opens the bottle cap and pours it on Percy's wound.

He begins to whisper something, like a chant. The water begins to glow brightly, and then it enters Percy's wound.

I panic a little bit, unsure of Marcus's intention, 'What are you doing!?'

Marcus ignores me, he looks at Percy, 'Just this once, Brother.'


	32. Escape

'Hurry up! They can be back at anytime!' Thalia ranted behind me.

'If you want me to be faster, you'll have to give me a kiss.' I replied, half-jokingly.

Thalia kicks me right in the back.

I groan, 'Ow! Not helping!'

Thalia looks satisfied, 'Not trying to.'

It's been days since Thalia and I have been taken here. Now that I think about it, it's actually quite funny.

First of all, we woke up in the street side in Italy. Yes, yes, a trip to a romantic country with a cute, and yet ferocious girl, my kind of a girl. Somehow though, five minutes after we woke up in Italy, a big scary guy stood in our way wearing a blue hoodie. The rude thing is, he kept blocking our way deliberately. When we wanted to pass him from the left, there he was, when we wanted to pass him from the right, there he was. Finally I began to yell, but before I got three words out of my mouth, he punched me in the face. Next thing I know was that we were already stuck inside of this iron birdcage with all our equipment gone.

The entire room is shaped in a circle. The room tone is dark, but these strange blue crystals that are placed on the walls and the ceilings, provide dim lights. The horrifying thing is that, there are a lot of torturing devices here. There's an iron maiden put in the corner of the room, a wooden table full of knives and wrenches (not the good kind), placed against the wall. Shelves lined up next to the table, and they're all filled with jars of internal organs. Another table, this one has big pointy needles, sticking in an upward position, placed opposite of the table with the knives. There's also a pair of chairs, with cuffs tied up on the arms and legs area. I'm pretty sure those are electric chairs. Also, of course, the most important feature is the giant birdcages. There are three iron birdcages, hanging in the air, twenty feet off the ground, and we've been occupying the middle one.

Funny thing is, they never tried any of those things with us. We've been here for days, but all they have done is bringing us food (three times a day), and locked me up with a cute girl inside a small cage. True, the level of the comfyness is limited, but they made it up with the companion. In another circumstances, I should be thanking them. Although, Thalia is pretty sure that they're going to roast us with some vegetables pretty soon, and I've heard talking about how this "Young master Jonathan" is going to torture us. I figured, it might be time to get the hell out of here.

Luckily, they didn't empty my pocket.

I kept a small case of lockpicks in my pocket. Thalia was enraged when she saw this, and I quote from her 'You had it all the whole time, and you didn't think of using it sooner!?'

Although, I do have to say, I just love the way she exploded at me.

_Click._ I smile the moment I hear that sound.

'And… Open Sesame!' I said proudly.

I push the door open. Thalia on the other hand, decides to push me out of the birdcage by kicking me in the back.

'Oooff!' I fall to the ground, face first. That hurts a lot.

Thalia lands smoothly right beside me. She looks around, cautiously. She crouches, trying not to make a sound.

I get up, rubbing my face, 'You know… That really hurt.' I said.

Thalia shushes me. She sneaks out of this room, not that I see anyone here. I follow her casually, not sure why she's so cautious.

There's not even a door here though, it's like this room is a gap on the walls of a very long hallway.

Thalia cautiously checks her left and right. She signals me to follow her. She sneaks to the right, and I follow her.

The hallway is basically almost empty. White columns, around thirty meters tall, is lined up near the walls. There's also a red carpet covering the entire floor, but basically that's it. There's nothing else here, at least nothing else we can see.

The hallway seems like it's an endless road. I can't see how far the road stretches from behind me till in front of me. There are blue crystals sticking on the walls and the columns, but I think that the crystals react to our presence. The blue crystals inside that torture room already went out. My guess is that the crystals will only light if someone is nearby.

Basically, we can only see what's right in front of us, and not what's way up ahead.

Thalia keeps sneaking forward, while I'm still walking casually right behind her.

We keep moving forward, until finally, we come across upon another room on our right side. Thalia takes cover at the edge of wall. She takes a peek of the inside of the room. She gives me a signal, and then she enters. I smile a bit. She's really cute when she takes things seriously like that. I follow her into the room.

The contents of this room are completely different from the previous room. This one has no torture devices. No iron maiden, electric chair, giant birdcage, scary looking knives. It's totally clean. The room's shape is the same, circular-shape, but this one looks prettier and the floor is made out of blue marble. A majestic silver throne is put in the opposite side of the entrance; basically it's up against the wall, but the throne is facing the entrance. The throne made from some sort of silver marbles and steels, and it looks like it is polished everyday. There's a small waterway, kinda look like a gutter, circling the room. Interesting part is, instead of black/green filthy looking water, this waterway holds delicious looking water. The water looks completely clean and fresh, it's transparent blue, and it shines with blue lights. The waterway starts from the back of the throne and ends right before the entrance. Blue crystals also decorate the walls of this room. The room has nothing else besides those things, but somehow, I can still feel the majesty of the throne. With such a simple design to the room, the throne still manages to show so much power.

Although, why would anyone put a throne room right next to a torture chamber? I mean, I know that it's not exactly next door, but it's just common sense. Someone must be using this room, and what if there's a prisoner being tortured in the torture room. It's not like this room is soundproof, with the giant gap in the wall as the entrance. You would hear everything from here.

Man, the one sitting on that throne must not be happy with the arrangement of these rooms.

Thalia walks around the room, examining it. I walk to the throne, running my hands on it. From all the video games I've played, there's always something extraordinary from a really shining object.

'What are you doing?' Thalia asked.

'It's a throne. Usually they have secret buttons or something like that to open a secret passageway.' I said while still pushing every part of the throne with my finger.

She snorts and laughs a bit, 'You've been watching too many films. There's no way—'

_ Click!_ I pushed a square button right under the left arm area. The button blended completely with the throne.

Immediately after the click, we can hear the sound of some gears working inside the wall. The wall near the throne opens up, revealing a small passageway. Thalia looks shocked, her mouth is still half open.

I grin, 'You were saying?'

Thalia recovers, 'We're not going through that. We don't know where that might lead. Besides, there are still other rooms, I'm sure one of them is the exit out of here.'

Right after Thalia finished saying that, sound of footsteps can be heard. Thalia turns around to the entrance, she and I can already see the shadows approaching. We also hear some grumblings, not the human kind though, so I'm guessing those are not friendly creatures that are closing in.

'So… Let's go?' I smile.

Thalia grumbles. She pushes me into the passageway. She follows me, and then the secret door behind us closes right away.

The passageway is really dark, and then the walls begin to glow, or so I thought. Apparently they also decorate the walls here with those strange blue crystals.

I smile to Thalia, 'Can I get a kiss now?'


	33. Hyperactive Goddess

'Okay, genius. What makes you think that this is the right way?' Thalia asked. She seemed to have a problem with me leading the way.

I know that she has been wanting to ask that question ever since we got into the secret passageway. I can tell that she's been staring at me strangely, like questioning whether following me was a good idea or not.

I sigh, 'Don't you ever watch a film? This is the kind of way that kings use to escape their castle.'

Thalia rolls her eyes, 'This is not a film.'

I laugh, 'When you learnt that you're a child of a god. It changed all your perspective of reality and fiction.' I turn halfway to Thalia, 'What you've seen in films might actually be the true reality.' I smile to her, turning on my maximum charm, hoping that what I just said would be cool enough to mesmerize her.

Thalia rolls her eyes again, it doesn't seem to have worked very well. I sigh again.

'Trust me, this is the right way.' I assured her, even though I'm not certain myself.

I keep walking with Thalia following me from behind. Finally, we come across to a dead end. There's nothing ahead except a solid wall blocking our way.

'A dead end?' Thalia looked more confused, rather than angry.

It is unusual that they would put a dead end in a secret passageway; after all, being a secret and all, it should've leaded somewhere.

I examine the wall that is right in front of us. There's probably another secret button right on the wall. It makes sense, to make sure that only people, who truly know about this passage, are the only one who can pass.

I checked the wall in front of me completely, but there's nothing whatsoever. I turn to the right side of the wall, and then I examine it as well.

I run my hands on the wall and putting some forces behind them. I managed to push something inside, and then I smile. I pinpoint that particular part with my eyes, and then I push it with my hand. A block, the size of my hand got pushed inside, and then we can hear the gears working.

_Click!_ I smile yet again at that sound.

The wall right in front of us is being lifted up.

I turn to Thalia and grin. Thalia manages a smile, like saying "Fine, you were right all along.". Of course, she would never say those words in a million years. I have only been spending a week or so with this huntress of Artemis, but it feels so much longer than that.

I walk outside of the secret passageway, but it's not the exit that we walk into. It's another hallway that stretches out forever. I sigh; this is starting to get really confusing. The hallway is like the exact replica of the hallway before. The big white columns, lined up

'Did you hear that?' Thalia asked.

I look at her, confused; there is nothing but silence in the air.

Thalia freezes, like putting all her concentration in hearing that something. A few seconds later, I hear it as well, it's music. Somewhere alongside this hallway, someone is playing an instrument, and it's beautiful.

Thalia follows the sound of the music, there's a part of me that wants to argue, but I decide to keep it to myself. After all, things that appear beautiful in the bad guys' lair, they're usually deadly and dangerous. Although it might not be so bad, the good guys usually always escaped the deadly pretty things.

We keep walking forward, and the sound of the music gets clearer and clearer. Finally we come across a room on our left. Thalia and I take a peek at what's inside the room.

To our surprises, it's a girl's room. Well, to say that a normal girl's room would be a lie. It's like a princess's room that I read in stories.

The room is basically white and blue in colors. The lights here are dimmed, and the walls are filled with blue crystals. A king sized bed is placed against the wall, at the side of the room. The white silk drapes are hung on the ceilings on top of the bed, covering the bed in a transparent silky way. The blanket and pillows are all white. The bed itself is put on a square shaped container that covers the entire side and bottom of the bed, made from what it appears to be white oak. A white make-up table is put at the opposite side of the entrance, alongside a big reflection mirror. On both sides of the make-up table; two white bookshelves on each side, filled with white, and blue books. A small sofa at the opposite of the bed, with coffee table made of glass right in front of the sofa. There's a silver tea set right on the coffee table. Right beside the white bed is a girl playing a big white harp.

The girl is wearing a silky white dress, and white stiletto heels. Her hair is black, like really pretty black. Her hair is long and wavy, just like a Hollywood actress. The unfortunate thing is that she's facing the other way, so we can't see her face. Although, she's definitely not human. How can we tell? Because she has the moon floating right above her head, the size of a fist, gleaming. Looks very much like the real moon, just in a miniature size.

I don't know anything about music, but somehow the sound that is coming out from that harp made me want to cry.

The girl stops playing the harp all of the sudden, she pauses, and then she grumbles loudly in annoyance. She throws the harp across the room, and it slams right to the wall. We flinch, and then the girl quickly turns around.

Thalia and I quickly hide in reaction. We freeze for a couple of seconds.

'Nathan?' She called with a charming voice.

Thalia and I look at each other, unsure of what to do.

'Show yourself.' There's a hint of caution in her voice.

Thalia and I stop moving, definitely still thinking over whether or not we should show ourselves. After all, for all we know is that girl is some sort of a new breed of a killing machine. Finally though, Thalia careful shows herself to the girl. I sigh, and then I follow her.

The girl in white is super pretty, and cute. Her face radiates some sort of elegant aura, like a princess from a kingdom.

So this is what it must have been like to face royalty.

The girl looks cautious at first, but then she suddenly smiles, and looks really cheerful and happy.

'Ooohhh! Demigods!' She looks really excited. 'You will not believe how long it has been since I've seen any demigod. Well, any demigod who isn't a son of Poseidon. Gods know I have enough problems with that brat, Jonathan.' She mumbled. 'Sit down!' She points excitedly to the sofa.

She runs to the small coffee table, and then pours something from the teapot to the cups.

She gasps, 'Cookies! I forgot to put some!' She starts running around busily around the room. 'I'm out of cookies!' She panicked.

She stops moving around, and then she seems to be in deep thoughts. She snaps her fingers, and then she smiles.

'I'll just ask Endymion to bring some!' She points out to herself.

She snaps her fingers again, and then a cellphone appears out of thin air. She grabs it, and then she starts texting.

She turns to us, 'Well? What are you waiting for? Sit! The cookies will be here soon!'

I stare at her, loss for words. Moments ago, she was this elegant princess. Now she's like this excited hamster. Still, she's cute regardless of whether she's an elegant princess, or a hyperactive immortal hamster. Also, she looks pretty harmless. What's the worst that can happen?

Thalia looks at me, like searching for an answer as what is this girl doing, or who in Hades' name this girl is. I shrug, and then I gleefully walk to the sofa. I sit on the sofa, but Thalia glares at me like she wants to impale me.

The girl turns to Thalia, 'Sit down! Hurry up!'

Before Thalia could react, the girl grabs Thalia's arm, and then drag her to the sofa like Thalia is made from paper. She pushes Thalia down to the sofa. The girl quickly runs and drags a chair that she was sitting on when she was playing the giant harp, to the side of the coffee table. She sits down quickly and looks at us with an annoyingly happy face.

'So tell me something!' She ordered.

I glance back to Thalia, Thalia seems to be utterly loss for words, and then I turn to the girl, 'Like what?'

'Anything! Like your name, your age, your e-mail address, your occupation. Stuff like that!' The girl answered.

'Who are you?' Thalia ignored her question.

'Me? Oh-oh! Let's play a guessing game! I used to represent something in the sky until someone took over my job! I have two brothers, and their names are Helios and Eos! So who am I!?' She asked gleefully.

That's definitely in a class that I've missed. I'm not much good in "GUESS WHO THIS GODDESS IS!" game. Actually I'm not much good in anything that has to be learned in books.

Thalia gasps, 'You're Selene? The old goddess of the moon?'

Selene grumbles, 'Old!? I'm not old! I'm as young and as energetic as you two are!'

'Uhm… I didn't say you're old.' Thalia muttered.

'Silence! That discussion is over!' Selene smiles, 'So tell me, hunter of Artemis. How is my sweet young apprentice doing?'

'Lady Artemis…? She's doing… good?' Thalia seems to be having trouble keeping up with Selene's spirit.

'Good. Good. Did you know that she is what she is today because I trained her from scratch?' Selene smiles proudly.

'I thought gods are born like that? You know, like super mega talented in what they do.' I asked.

Selene blushes, 'W-Well… She was awkward when I first met her, but now! She is my successor as goddess of moon!' Selene declared proudly.

'I didn't know gods teach each other.' I laugh. 'So, what did you teach her? Archery? Or in like, you know, moon stuff.' I asked.

Selene crosses her arms and legs, 'Uhm… Bakery?'

I look at her like I just lost all respect for this goddess.

Selene senses this; she quickly waves her hand, 'Silence! Son of Morpheus! The important thing is that I chose her to replace me as the moon in the sky!' Selene bragged.

'I thought it was because the Greeks thought it was too much to serve two goddess of moon?' Thalia followed up.

'They picked Artemis over you?' I asked.

'Silence!' Selene ordered. She looks at the untouched cups, and then she turns back to us, 'Drink your tea!'

I smile, it's like watching a cartoon character in real life. Selene is really pretty, but at the same time, ridiculously funny. I pick up the cup and then drink it whole. It tastes like tea, but a very different tea, nothing like I have ever tasted before in my life.

'Can I have more?' I pleaded.

Selene smiles brightly. She picks up the teapot and then pours some into my cup.

Thalia on the other hand is not touching the cup and Selene realized this. Thalia has a serious expression on her face.

'Lady Selene, are you on their side?' Thalia asked.

The goddess giggles, 'Silly demigod! I'm not on anyone's side. The sons of Poseidon are fun. Marcus often visits and talks to me, and Nathan brought me cookies from all around the world, although that brat Jonathan is a catastrophe!' Selene grumbled. 'But I don't partake in the primordial' game.'

'So why are you here?' Thalia asked again.

Selene smiles, 'Nathan summoned me here. At first, I wanted to blow their heads off for being too arrogant. But then it turns out to be a lot of fun here. I get visited by demigods, it's been a while, and I get to enjoy stories from the sons of Poseidon.'

Thalia seems to be thinking, 'Are you going to let us leave this place?'

Selene looks surprised, 'You want to leave? But why? The cookies aren't even here yet.' Selene looks sad.

It feels like watching a puppy crying, that's the kind of guilt that you feel when you look at Selene's sad face. I just want to hold her, and then caress her head, like to calm a puppy down. Of course if I do that, she can easily blast me into millions of pieces.

Thalia seems shaken by this, but she quickly shook her head, like trying to get back to reality, 'W-We just really need to get back to our friends.'

Selene crosses her arms; it looks like she's pouting, 'Fine! You can leave, but you'll have to wait for my husband. Only he knows the way out of this fortress.'

'You don't know?' I asked.

Selene shrugs, 'I haven't left this place ever since I got here. Besides, I can just poof myself out of here.'

I shrug to Thalia, Selene did have a point. Thalia rolls her eyes, she turns back to Selene.

'When is he coming?' Thalia asked.

Selene's face is still sour, 'He should be here soon.' Selene's face suddenly brightens up, 'With cookies!'

I snicker; somehow it's really fun to see Selene. She looks like the type that is always in a good mood.

Selene's face brightens up again, but this time it seems she just gotten an idea, 'Since you two have been such a delight. I'm going to give you a sneak peek!' Selene giggles.

Thalia looks curious, 'A sneak peek? Of what?'

Selene stands up, and then she snaps her fingers. A white screen appears out of nowhere and it's floating in the middle of the air.

'Of the primordial gods' biggest surprise!' Selene declared it like a presenter declaring a prize of a game.

The screen is white at first, but then an image slowly appears on it. It's an image of the forest, but there's a huge trail of trees brought down to the ground. The scene changes, same forest but just different angle. We see something, but it quickly slithers away. My demigod sense is buzzing out of place, I can tell that what I'm about to see is going to be unpleasant. Then the scene changes one more time, and there I see something that I have never seen before in my life. Something terrible and horrifying.

'By the gods…' Thalia murmured.


	34. The Exit

**Yes, thank you for the input. I still haven't found the time to rewrite and fix the older chapters.**

**I'll be sure to do that right away when I have the time. In the meanwhile, enjoy.**

* * *

'Cookies here!' Selene yelped happily.

A charming guy enters the room, holding a picnic basket. He's around 6'2" tall with brown-golden hair. His hair is a bit wavy, and his bangs almost reach his eyebrows. His hair looks like it's been groomed over many years; it suits his pretty face. He looks young, and as good looking as a Hollywood actor. He has a pair of grey eyes, but somehow they look sleepy.

He's wearing a dark brown leather vest, the kind that people from the medieval period would wear. He's also wearing a thin white shirt with white fur collars underneath the vest, and long black pants.

Selene rushes to the guy, she pries the picnic basket out of the guy's hands and rush back to the table.

The guy sighs while Selene ransacks the picnic basket, getting out every cookies in there.

The guy turns to us, he looks a bit surprised.

'Demigods? William's prisoners..?' The guy asked weakly.

Thalia is still in daze. She doesn't seem to be paying any attention to what the guy just said.

I'm not surprised, considering what Selene just showed us. If that thing is really our opponent, this just turned from mission impossible to mission-we-are-so-dead.

I try to set my mind aside from what we've just seen. Trying not to think about it seems to be the smartest thing to do right now.

'Uh… Yeah… Who are you?' I replied. Even I know that I sounded like a zombie.

Selene stops pulling things out of the basket. She rushes back to the guy and side-hugs him.

'Meet Endymion! This is my husband!' Selene declared happily.

Endymion yawns, and then he rubs his eyes. Selene elbows Endymion in the gut, she looks annoyed.

'We have guests! Look lively!' Selene ordered.

Endymion ignores what Selene just said, instead, he walks to the bed and fall on it quickly, and then within seconds, his snoring.

'Endymion!' Selene's moaned.

Selene approaches Endymion, and then she grabs his arms and pulls him out of the bed. Endymion wakes up, and then he yawns.

'You'll have to forgive me, demigods…' Endymion yawns, 'Zeus made me this way…' Endymion muttered.

Thalia snaps back into reality after the word "Zeus".

'The shepherd prince.' Thalia muttered. 'Lady Selene asked Zeus to make you immortal so that you two can be together.'

Endymion sleepily smiles, 'Yes. Zeus put me in this state of eternal sleepiness in exchange for immortality…' Endymion suddenly turns down, and then he starts snoring again.

If Selene is a hyperactive immortal hamster, Endymion is an inactive sleepy sloth. He looks really weak, and he doesn't seem to be interested in anything. He actually has the look that everything that he does take way too much energy, so it's better not to do it at all.

'Endymion!' Selene called.

Endymion wakes up, surprised. He looks around for a couple of seconds like trying to figure out where he is, and then he looks at us again.

'So… What business do you have here?' Endymion asked.

'We want to get out of here, as quick as possible.' I replied. 'We heard that you know the way out of here.'

Endymion scratches his chin, 'Not that I don't want to help you… But that would break Selene's and my standing in the neutral ground.'

Oh great, that means we have to search the entire area for the exit. Not that we actually have the time to do that. Time is ticking, and we need to warn everybody.

Thalia looks at Selene, like trying to plead with her eyes.

Selene turns to Endymion, 'Help them.' She said with puppy eyes.

Endymion sighs, 'Alright, I'll help them. You don't have to pull that move on me.'

'Really?' Thalia sounded relieved.

Endymion scratches the back of his head, 'Yeah. Besides, showing you the way out of here won't count as taking sides, and even if we have to take a side.' Endymion turns to Selene, he smiles, 'I'm pretty sure you already won my wife.'

'Yay!' Selene hugs Endymion tightly.

Endymion yawns again, 'Well then, I guess I should take you guys to the exit.'

Selene turns to us, 'Sure you two don't want cookies first?'

Thalia stands up from the chair, she approaches Selene, and then she bows to her in gratitude, 'Thank you Lady Selene.'

'Thanks for the help.' I blurted.

Selene waves goodbye, 'Don't forget to visit again.' She said, smiling.

Endymion snaps his fingers, and then white smoke begins to appear out of nowhere. It fills our surrounding quickly, and before we know it, our entire field of vision is covered in smoke. The white smoke dissipates slowly, and when we look around, we're already in a different place.

We're back in the hallway. It feels really different from the one that we've been before, but quite frankly, I wouldn't have known. The hallways look almost exactly the same with each other, there's no way in differentiating them. Honestly, I don't even know whether we're fifteen feet away from where we were or a hundred feet away.

Selene is gone, but Endymion is still there standing right in front of us. His head is facing down, and soon, the sounds of his snores.

'Errr… Endymion, dude?' I called him.

He stays silent.

I approach Endymion carefully, and then I poke his arms. Endymion jolted back into life. He searches around, like checking where he is right now, and then he turns to us again. He seems to just remember what he was doing.

'Oh… Right. We're here.' Endymion said.

We've arrived right in front of the entrance of a room. Endymion points to the inside of the room.

'Go across the water. You'll find a portal that will lead you anywhere you want to go.' Endymion yawns.

I smile, 'Thanks sloth dude.'

Endymion looks confused at what I just called him, so does Thalia.

Thalia brushes away what I just said, 'Thank you Lord Endymion.'

Endymion smiles weakly, and then he nods.

Thalia and I walk away from Endymion, heading right into the room.

'Son of Morpheus.' Endymion called me.

I turn back to him. Endymion puts on a serious face. He actually looks a bit scary now.

Endymion points to me, 'Never forget who you are. It might just be the thing… that will save your friends' lives.'

I gulp down. Not that I understand what he just said, but he looks really grim and scary.

Endymion faces down again. I thought for a moment that he's doing a godly thinking to give more godly advice, but he snores again. Before long, he begins to shine. I keep staring at him shining brighter and brighter at every moment.

Thalia grabs my head and then spins away, turning me from Endymion away. She covered my eyes, and closed hers as well. The bright light vanishes, and then Thalia takes her hands off of me.

Thalia looks really angry, 'You idiot! You could've died.'

I remember immediately of what they told me about gods. When they begin to shine like that, don't look at them. They're basically turning back into their immortal form, that one look from a mortal, they would have been blown into bits and pieces.

I laugh awkwardly. Thalia looks really upset, she walks past by me and right into the room. I stand up, and then I follow her from behind.

This room is around the same size of any other rooms, but this one stretches farther than the previous one. White columns lined up against the walls at each side, with blue crystals decorating the walls. It has a short stair that goes upward; leading to a pond that takes almost the entire floor. Across the water is a gateway portal.

Thalia smiles, almost grinning. She goes up the stair and I follow her from behind. She stops right in front of the pond. Thalia sees the water, and so do I. The water is really clear, like transparent clear. I can tell that the pond is not that deep. Thalia kneels down, checking the pond. She stands up, and about to walk into the pond, but I stop her.

I put my hand in her way, 'Seriously?'

Thalia looks confused at my question.

'Have you never watched ANY film at all? This is the part where the evil bad monster appears!' I explained.

Thalia rolls her eyes, 'This isn't a movie.'

She keeps walking, and then I take a step and stand right in front of her.

'I'm serious. If you keep walking to the middle of the pond, something bad is going to happen!' I warned her.

Thalia sighs, she pushes me aside, 'There's nothing in the water.'

Thalia enters the pond casually. She pauses for a couple of seconds and then she turns back to me, 'See? Nothing's here. Now come on.'

I enter the water as well, although I have a bad feeling about this. In my head, a creepy thrilling soundtrack is being played over and over again. I half-expect a massive man-eating crocodile to appear and eat us whole. We keep walking, and by the time we get to the middle of the pond, nothing happened.

I guess there really is nothing in the water.

The water reaches my chest, but it doesn't go any deeper.

There's silent in the air, but the creepy music inside my head keeps playing, and it's getting louder. More than that, I keep thinking of a dozen of scenarios where we get attacked and eaten by mutated monsters.

I grumble, maybe I did watch too many films. We're about to reach the other side, and then the music inside my head suddenly stops.

I'm a bit surprised that it stops out of nowhere.

But then I thought to myself, _Wait, isn't this the part where it usually gets—_

Right before I can finish that thought, the water rages. Waves after waves, it comes crashing down, and then the water takes Thalia and me all around from one spot to the other. The water is trying to drown us, I'm positively sure.

I keep trying to get back up; trying to get some air, but the water keeps putting me back down in the water as soon as I inhale some air.

_I so haven't watched enough movies._ I thought to myself.


	35. Mother's Anger

**Sorry guys, this one might be a bit boring. Promise I'll do better next time.**

* * *

She finally cools down, like trying to figure out what to do. She turns to me, but I just float there crossing my arms with a sarcastic look.

It's like I'm sending a telepathy message, 'I told you so.'

She rolls her eyes, like able to read my mind, she gives me an expression of 'Not now!'

The water seems deeper than before, now it's around three meters deep. How is that even possible? Before it only reached around my chest.

I look around in the water, it's calm in here. Nothing out of the ordinary, no monster or anything like that. The water is clear and calm, but the surface is raging like a beast.

I try to think calmly, but the air leaving my brain and body is not helping one bit. I'm going to suffocate very soon.

I swim back up to the surface. I get out of the water, and inhale as much as air as I can. The waves quickly drown me back into the water.

Is it trying to kill us? But why let us reach for air, even for just a moment.

It hits me then, this is a torture. They're trying to deprive us of oxygen bit by bit, slowly but surely suffocating us. Then again though, whoever or whatever that is doing this, it hasn't asked any question. So it is also possible that this is not a torture but simply just an action to give us a slow painful death by suffocation.

Thalia reaches for the surface again, quicker than before, and then the water drowns her back in. Her body is lacking air, and the time she has on the surface, gets faster than before.

Thalia pauses all of the sudden. It scares me for a split second, thinking that she might have fall unconscious, but she turns to me. She gives me a signal to follow her. I nod, and then she swims forward.

Thalia swims in a hurry, she propels her legs even faster. She's running out of air, but so am I. I try to reach the surface again, but this time the water doesn't even allow me to get back up. The moment the top of my head gets out of the water, the water pushes me back in. I guess they're done playing around with us.

It starts to get really hard to hold my breath. Slowly, I'm suffocating, and Thalia is getting farther and farther. Not long after that, I finally couldn't take it anymore. My body is screaming at my mouth to open and breathe. I give in, and when I open my mouth, cold water rushes in and fills my mouth in seconds.

It fills my mouth and then into my throat, shutting off completely my mean of breathing.

Just when I thought I was about to die, someone grabs my shirt and then pulls me out of the water onto the floor.

Water just starts flowing out of my mouth and nose. I cough it all up, and then I inhale until I can't inhale anymore. I lie face up on the ground.

I look around, Thalia is right beside me. Her hands and knees are on the floor, she's breathing heavily. She was the one who pulled me out.

'I'm the comically funny guy.' I mutter.

Thalia, still panting, looks confused, 'What?'

'My character is always the first one to die.' I reply weakly.

'I should have left you then.' She replies.

I could detect a hint of seriousness in her voice, which makes it really scary.

'Now, what do we have here?' An unknown voice says.

I get back up, still sitting on the floor.

A young woman is standing there, radiant as the moon itself, like literally radiating moonlight. She's wearing a long blue thin gown. She has a long wavy golden hair, with a couple of seashell hairpins, setting her bang aside from her face in a beautiful and elegant manner. Her eyes are the combination color of blue and green. She looks like she's in her late 20.

'Two demigods, and they're cute.' The lady smiles at us.

Even though she looks young, her voice somehow resembles an old british elegant lady in the movies.

I smile back, 'Let me guess… You're an immortal.' I reply weakly, still tired from spending all that time in the water.

'It's very obvious, I suppose.' The lady looks at me in the eyes.

Man, she's really pretty, and elegant too. Not like Selene who is seriously hyperactive, this lady here actually acts like a lady.

The lady shrugs, 'I'm sorry, I felt your presence in the water and thought you were intruders. It's just I got a little bit excited because there has never been an intruder before.' Even though she's apologizing, she doesn't seem sorry at all.

I grumble, 'That's a great reason to almost kill us.' My breathing is back to normal.

Thalia's eyes are fixed on the lady, she's cautious, 'Who are you?'

The lady seems amused, 'Child, it is not polite to ask someone's name without first telling yours.'

Thalia and I glance at each other, and then we get up. We look at the lady again.

'My name is Thalia Grace.' Thalia says respectfully.

'Matt Grey. 'Sup?' I put my hands behind my head.

The lady smiles kindly, 'That's better.' The lady places her hand elegantly on her chest, 'I am Thetis.'

Thalia looks shocked, like her eyes are ready to pop out at anytime. I can't say that it doesn't surprise me as well that the elegant lady in front of us is Thetis. Even I know who she is, the mother of the greatest Greek warrior of all.

'You're THE Thetis!? Achilles's mom?' I ask, surprised.

Thetis smiles, she seems proud, 'I see that you are familiar with my son. Then again, the whole world knows who he is.'

I roll my eyes, 'Lady, your son is an international world-wide celebrity. Well… He's dead, but guess he's that famous because he's dead.'

Thalia elbows my arms.

'Forgive him, Lady Thetis. He doesn't think when he says.' Thalia humbly says.

Thetis smiles gently, 'That's quite alright, child.' Thetis examines Thalia with her eyes, 'Thalia Grace… Yes, they've told me about you. A daughter of Zeus.'

'Forgive me, Lady Thetis. But we must leave now, we're on a very important quest.' Thalia blurts.

Thetis' smile fades, 'Yes, I know. A quest to save Olympus.' There's a hint of anger in her voice.

Nobody makes a sound for a moment, everything is quiet.

'So… Are you going to let us pass?' I ask with a smile.

Thetis turns around from us, she seems to be thinking. She turns back to us, and then she has a strange smile on her face.

Thetis points to Thalia, 'Did you know? Your father feared me.' Thetis grins, 'Zeus and Poseidon fought each other for my hand, but once they heard about the result of the union between either of them and me, they changed their mind.'

Thetis continues on, 'As the result, they wed me with a mortal, Peleus.' Thetis smiles; she seems distant, like reminiscing. 'Thus, Achilles was born. I can still remember the way his little hand held my finger.'

Thetis sighs, 'But alas, I know of his fate as a warrior, and of his demise. I love him so much that I could not bear to lose him.' Thetis clenched her fists, 'So I dip him in the Styx, to make him invulnerable, to make him un-killable.'

Okay, never a good sign when someone starts to tell a sad story about their beloved. Especially people that are still not determined whether they're the good guys or the bad guys. Usually they ended up to be the psychopathic murderer.

'Achilles grown into a fine warrior, better than anyone in the history. I was so proud of him.' Thetis smiles proudly, but she's smiling at the sky instead of us.

Thetis's smile fades, 'The Trojan war happened. A war that has been foreseen where Achilles will lose his life.' Thetis looks sad, 'I begged him not to go. I told him that he can have a better life, that he doesn't have to pursue the glory in Troy. He can have as much glory as he wants in Greece.'

'You were lying.' I blurt out.

Thalia elbows me again, and then I groan in reaction. Thetis just smiles sadly.

'Yes. I lied to him. The glory that he was going to gain in Troy was immeasurable, but it would cost him his life.' Thetis replies. 'Achilles knew that the glory was going to make his name be heard throughout the world, but he did not believe that he would die.'

Thetis turns to Thalia, 'Do you know what killed Achilles, child?' Her voice becomes grimmer.

Thetis puts on a scary serious face. It makes me nervous, and she's not even looking at me.

Thalia hesitantly answers, 'Prince Paris shot an arrow to Achilles' heel. His weak point.'

'Guided by Apollo himself.' Thetis seems to be really upset now, 'Do you know how the Trojan War even started?'

I'm guessing that isn't rhetorical.

'Uhm… Cause Paris took Helen from that Spartan dude, right?' I answer.

Thetis looks angry, 'Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera, asked Zeus a question. They asked him, who's the fairest one among them all. Zeus dreaded this question because whoever he chose would mean making enemies out of the other two.' Thetis' voice has become seriously grim, 'So Zeus threw the decision to Paris, letting him to decide the answer to a divine question. Paris thought it was an honor, little did he know it was Zeus throwing him into the lion's den.'

Thetis'Thetis' eyes brighten up, 'Paris chose Aphrodite, and in return, Aphrodite gave Paris the most beautiful girl in the world, Helen. That was the beginning of the Trojan War.'

Thetis stomps the ground in anger, 'The Trojan War started because of a silly little quarrel of the gods! If it wasn't for that, Achilles wouldn't have died at a young age!' Thetis screams.

She's a bit messed up, her arguments don't make much sense, it's like she's senselessly blaming the gods for everything that has happened to Achilles. Then again, Thetis is a mother. She loved her son so much, that her truth becomes distorted. It's not that weird that she blames the gods because of the simplest and smallest reason.

'Tell me, child. Why should I let you pass? The Olympians deserve to be obliterated.' Thetis says.

Oh boy… This looks super bad.

'Achilles died not because of the gods. He died because of his own arrogance.' Thalia says clearly with a straight tone.

I slap my own forehead. This is it. This is where we're both going to die.

'Achilles believed himself to be greater than the gods. He feared no one, not even the gods. He didn't believe that he could be killed by anyone, that's what got him killed. You're blaming the gods because you do not know who else to blame. Forgive me, Lady Thetis, but you know that it's true.'

Thetis' eyes glow in anger, 'Your father loves you dearly, does he not?'

Thalia looks confused.

Thetis grins, 'Maybe I should turn you into dusts so that Zeus might understand how I feel, even if it's just for a tiny bit.'

I shudder, Thetis is definitely crazy. I can tell that she's dead serious.

Thalia draws her weapon, and so do I. If I remember correctly, she's a nymph, so technically we should still be able to kill her. Although, I doubt that it's going to be easy. Thetis has a wicked smile on her face, her eyes glow.

Suddenly she looks up, it's like she's listening to something.

'Are you sure?' Thetis mumbles, she doesn't look too happy.

Thetis pauses again, and then she suddenly smiles. She laughs right after that, and then she turns to us. Her eyes return back to normal.

'Go ahead then, you may pass.' Thetis says.

I look at Thalia in confusion, like asking her what did she do. Thalia looks a bit confused as well though. I was expecting her to chop our heads off.

'You're letting us go? Just like that?' I ask.

Thetis shoots a murderous glare, 'Trust me child, if it were up to me, I would not let you two pass. But they think that it would be much more interesting to let you two pass. Besides…' Thetis grins, 'You two already saw what the elder gods planned to unleash.'

I gulp. I remember exactly what Selene showed us.

Thetis glows brightly, 'May you feel despair when it stands before you.' Thetis maliciously says.

I close my eyes, and when I open them, Thetis is gone.

The portal is right in front of us. Finally, an exit from this place.

I turn to Thalia, she looks worried, 'You okay?' I ask.

Thalia looks down, and then she looks at me, 'Yeah.'

I smile, and then I look at the portal, 'Let's really hope this isn't a trap.'

Thalia snorts, and then we walk into the portal.


	36. Intention

_**Here you go lads. Sorry for the delay.** Enjoy!_

* * *

Everything is dark, there's nothing except that one person standing still. Percy is just standing there, he looks like a statue in the middle of a field.

He's holding his sword, and he looks a bit pale. Suddenly, blood comes out from his lips.

I start to panic, something is definitely wrong. His blessing of the Styx should have protected him from anything.

That's when I see Jonathan, with his dagger inside of Percy. Percy looks surprised, while John just smiles wickedly. Even though his dagger didn't pierce Percy in his Achilles' heel, Jonathan's dagger still went through Percy's back.

I gasp, and then I scream my lungs out, 'Percy!'

I wake up immediately from a horrible nightmare. I feel tears coming out from my eyes.

I breathe heavily, a bit relieved that it was all just a nightmare, but I feel scared as well. I wrap my hands around my legs. I feel a little bit numb for some reasons.

_It's okay, Annabeth. It's just a dream._ I try to convince myself, even though it's really hard to think if that really was just a nightmare.

Gods, I hope Percy is okay. It feels like it's been forever since I last saw him. I miss his touch, his voice, the way he brushes my hair, and his soft lips. It's killing me that I can't see him.

I finally realized that I'm in a bed, all tucked in and comfy. I look around and then find Lisa right in a bed next to my bed.

I'm still wearing my old clothes, and so does Lisa. Our weapons though, it's not here.

I try to think about the last thing that I remember. I went through the portal that John created, and then that's it.

Jonathan… I feel angry. It's still fresh, the memory of what happened to Cathy.

I take a good look at my surroundings. Lisa and I are in a small house, made from woods. The house is probably only the size of a two rooms apartment in Manhattan. The walls and the ceilings of the house are completely painted in white.

I get off from the bed, and then I turn to Lisa. She's sleeping peacefully; I'll just wake her up in another few minutes. I walk around, examining the house.

The beds that Lisa and I are sleeping in are placed at the left corner of the house. There's a small window placed near my bed, but it's covered with small blue curtains. The sun is trying to get in from the gaps that the curtains have. There's a small kitchen right at the right corner of the house, just at the other side from the beds. A small half meter wall is placed between the beds and the small kitchen. There's also a fireplace from stone and bricks in the middle of the room, and placed against the walls. The fire is burning brightly, and kind of pretty for some reasons. Right next to the fireplace is a cupboard; the cupboard is between the beds and the fireplace. At the opposite side of the fireplace is a wooden dining table with four seats. A couple of candles and a fruit bowl are placed on the dining table. Small logs are placed at the left side of the fireplace, another window with curtains, right above the logs. There's only one door and it is placed right across the beds. Right next to the door is a brown leather couch.

It seems a lot like a house made for humans, but you can never be too sure when dealing with monsters. A lot of them are in a form that resembles humans.

I search around the house, looking for something that we can use, or maybe if I can even find our weapons again.

I look around in the kitchen, and I can only find some silver spoons, forks, and plates. There's not even a knife here.

Great, I'm all set if I'm going to fight an army of evil pizzas.

I search the cupboard, but nothing there. Only some clothes and jeans, doubt that would be useful right now.

I try to take a look through the window, but the curtains won't open. It's like there's an invisible force sealing it shut.

No weapon, and no clue as where we are right now. It doesn't really look that good.

The door. We need to get out of here.

I approach Lisa, but then I notice a painting right above the fire mantel. A painting of a beautiful woman.

The painting seems so real, it feels that the person that is on that paint might have actually been real. It's hard to imagine that is a painting and not a photograph. It radiates beauty, and somehow when I look at it, I feel at peace.

The painting only drew the woman up until her shoulders. The woman looks around the age of late twenty. She has long golden hair that looks like hundreds of thousands beautiful golden threads put together. She has a pair of green eyes, almost glimmering like emeralds. The woman is smiling with her red lips. Her kind face melts my worries in an instant. Yet, even with all of that out of the world beauty, something about her is unmistakably human.

Whoever drew this painting must have been a master, probably not human.

I can just look at this painting for days without doing anything else.

The door creaks open, and it alerts me. I turn quickly to the door, instinctively. To my surprise, Willy is there holding grocery bags on each arm.

'You're up.' Willy says casually.

I back away instantly, and then I put my guards up. I glare at him, expecting him to charge forward at anytime.

Willy is wearing a plain blue shirt and long jeans. He doesn't seem to be carrying any weapon.

'Relax. I have no intention of harming you.' He says.

Willy walks to the dining table and put the grocery bags on it. He starts taking all sorts of things from there. Willy takes out a rice box, like the one that you can get from the convenience store, and then he offers it to me.

'Eat.' He says with an expressionless face.

I look at the food, and then I look back at him, 'You're kidding right?'

'Dinner is still a few hours away, this is just something to quench your hunger until then.' He replies.

I snort, 'You have to be crazy if you think I'm going to eat that.'

I don't like accepting food from an enemy, because most likely they're poisonous.

Willy smiles, amused, like he can read my mind, 'You're a smart girl, Annabeth. If I want to kill you, why didn't I just strike you down in your sleep?'

I pause. He does seem to have a point, and I'm really hungry.

I relax a bit. He makes a good point, but still doesn't mean he doesn't want me dead.

'Eat.' He says again.

He puts the rice box on the table, and then he sits down.

I approach the table, and then sit across Willy. I open the rice box, and then start eating it. I stare at him, still unsure why he's not hostile one bit.

'I'm not allowed to kill you.' Willy replies. He really does seem to be able to read my mind.

'The elder gods have declared that it might be more poetic that if you and that country girl there meet your end at John's hands.' He explains.

I freeze at the sound of that name. John… I can't forgive him for what he did. Cathy didn't deserve to die; she was a kind girl that was manipulated by a twisted boy.

'I can see that you're not very fond of him.'

I glare at him, 'Your brother killed an innocent girl.'

I look at him, expecting a reaction, but Willy looks calm from hearing this news. I was half-expecting him to be surprised.

'You already know…' I mutter.

Willy doesn't respond, he just sits there quietly.

I bang the table in anger and I stand up, 'She has been nothing but loyal to you! How can you just throw her away like she's some sort of a toy!?'

I clench my fists, and I bite my lips in frustration.

'What are you fussing about? She's a daughter of Hermes, there are plenty of them. She's worthless.' Willy declares.

I leap across the table, knocking everything down on the table, and then I land on Willy. I pin him down, and then I punch him in the face, leaving a little cut on his lips.

I grab the collar of his shirt, 'She's a thousand times worthier than you.'

Willy laughs, he looks amused of what I said.

I can't believe that this person is Percy's half-brother. No matter how you think about it, they're both so different.

'What is it all for? Just for some petty vendetta against the gods!? What do you want exactly!?' I burst in anger.

Willy grins, 'You want to know what I want, Annabeth? It's simple really, I want the power to destroy all the Olympians and all the Primordial.'

I look at him, confused.

'I want to become a god.' He smiles to me.


	37. Family

'Wow…' I mutter.

It feels just a little bit unrealistic. I went out from the house, and then almost immediately the sun greeted me with a warm kiss. It's warm and gentle, as if Apollo himself is kissing my skin. The breeze is almost magical, with the wind blowing gently against my hair and my skin, giving me a whole new different sensation. The view is amazing, a wide mown green field behind me as far as the eyes can see. Wooden houses, here and there on the green field. Small mountains and hills at the end of the field, filled with breezy green forests. A lake right in front of us, glistening with the rays of the sun; it looks magnificent. Best of all is that there are no loud drilling noises or any other noise pollution here. It's all so relaxing and peaceful.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' An unfamiliar voice says from behind.

I turn around and find a large boy looking at me. He's probably around 6'1" tall, maybe more. He has a pair of blue oceanic eyes, and short brown hair. He has a tough face, like wrestlers kind of tough, and yet he still manages to look kind.

He walks past by me, 'I remember the first time I came here. I couldn't take my eyes off the view for hours.' He says as he stares at the lake.

I keep my distance from him, 'Who are you?'

The boy turns back to me, 'My name is Marcus Rain.' He looks me in the eye, 'And I'm a son of Poseidon.' He declares it with a solid and proud tone.

I pause, and then he examines me.

'You're not surprised.' He says.

He's right. His eyes give the same feeling that you get when you look at Percy's eyes, it's as if you can smell the ocean breeze and feel the cold splash of the water.

'It's not that much of a mystery.' I turn back to the view. 'Where are we?' I ask.

Marcus pauses, and then he turns back to the lake. 'This is Switzerland.' He glances back at me, 'But we call it home now.'

Oh great, now we're in Europe. We're miles away from our home, trapped with our enemies, and no idea where our other friends are.

He smiles, 'Annabeth Chase. I have heard a lot about you.' He walks toward me, 'It is said that you are the most skilled strategist the camp has ever seen, even more than Sophia Hunt, is it true?'

Sophia Hunt? I know that name, but I can't remember the details. If I remember correctly, Sophia Hunt was the counselor for the Athena's cabin. People said that she was the best strategist in history of the camp, that she was an equal to Odysseus. It's obvious enough that she was said to be Athena's most prized daughter.

'I don't know. I have never even met Sophia Hunt before.' I answer.

He chuckles, 'Sophia would have said that as well. You remind me a lot of her.'

Suddenly there's a sound of a window glass shattering apart. I turn around quickly and a chair already punched through the window from Willy's house.

Marcus approaches the house quickly, and I follow him from behind. Marcus and I walk to the door, but before Marcus can open it, Lisa and Willy come crashing out, bringing the door down with them.

They roll, and Lisa manages to pin down Willy. Lisa punches Willy in the face, again and again.

'Lisa!' I yell.

Lisa ignores me, she keeps hitting Willy until finally she's out of breath. Willy spits out blood, but he doesn't seem to be in pain at all, in fact he still looks calm.

I can tell that it enrages Lisa even further. Lisa is ready to swing another punch, but Marcus grabs her arm and stops her. Marcus pulls back Lisa easily; Lisa tries to struggle but Marcus pins her in his arms.

Willy sits up, 'Are you done?' His tone is clearly trying to provoke Lisa.

Lisa struggles again, she's trying her best to break free from Marcus, but Marcus keeps her tight in his arms. It actually looks a bit romantic how Marcus wraps his arms around Lisa, of course it would be more so if Lisa isn't trying to get out from there.

Marcus glares at Willy, 'Stop talking.' Marcus orders.

Willy stays silent, and then he gets up. He walks back into the house without so much glancing back at Marcus or any of us.

Lisa struggles again, like she wants to go after Willy, but Marcus is holding her tight. 'Easy now, you don't want to hurt yourself.' He says.

Lisa stops struggling, her attention shifts towards me. 'Annabeth, why in Hades' name, we're still not beating the life out of him.' Lisa looks enraged.

I stay silent. I did consider pummeling Willy mercilessly, but we need him for the moment. It doesn't seem that he has any intention to harm us, and he might be able to tell us what happened to Percy and the others. Besides, I'm pretty sure sticking to Willy is what we need to do to find our next destination.

'Calm down, girl. He's not dangerous to you both; he is not allowed to hurt you two.' Marcus tries to soothe Lisa's anger.

She looks at Marcus, still angry, but I think she realized that it's pointless to throw more tantrums as long as Marcus is holding her. Lisa calms down, and then Marcus releases her.

Looking at this makes me realize that Marcus is a natural-born leader. He has this aura that makes people listen to him and obey him, not to mention that he has an incredible charisma, even enough to make Willy obedient.

'I know that you probably would not believe me, but Cathy's death is something that I do not want as well.' He says.

Lisa glares at Marcus, 'Then why did you send her to that psychopathic boy you call brother?'

Marcus stays silent, there's a slight expression of guilt on his face.

'You two must be starving. Dinner should be ready by now.' He says.

Lisa and I look at each other, confused, while Marcus just waltzes back to the house.

'Wait!' I stop Marcus before he goes back into the house. 'Why are we here?'

Marcus stops, and then he glances back at me. He smiles gently, 'I'll tell you everything over dinner.' Marcus turns back and goes into the house.

'This is a trap.' Lisa says.

'I'm not so sure about that.' I reply.

'Annabeth! He's our enemy! I don't think he's preparing a feast in there for us!'

'If they wanted to kill us, it would have been a lot easier to just do it while we're sleeping rather than waiting for us to wake up, don't you think?' I say.

'They're planning something, Annabeth! And you can bet that it isn't anything good!' Lisa argues.

'Even so, we need to go with them.' I turn to the house. 'I need to find Percy.'

Lisa groans, 'Annabeth! For crying out loud!'

I turn back to Lisa, 'You just have to trust me on this one.' I try to assure her.

Lisa pauses, she takes a long breath, and she calms down. She nods to me, a bit unwillingly.

I walk back into the house, with Lisa right behind me.

Marcus is there, setting up the plates on the dining table. Willy on the other hand is putting the dishes on the table. It's strange to see that they look really peaceful and in harmony.

'You're late.' Willy says.

I feel another presence right behind us, someone just entered the house. I glance back, and see a guy, Asian, with a pair of blue-green eyes. Definitely another son of Poseidon. He's around 5'11" tall, with silky long black hair. He's wearing a black leather jacket, and black jeans. He's carrying a white plastic bag, filled with gods know what.

'I'm sorry. I had to go look for this in a dozen different stores.' The Asian guy says.

'Take off your jacket and go lay down the other utilities. We have guests.' Marcus points to us.

The Asian guy glances at us, and then back to Marcus. He nods and then puts his plastic bag on the sofa nearby.

Willy turns to us, he points to us. 'Yukimura. Meet Annabeth and Lisa.' He gives a brief introduction.

He turns back to us again, he bows, 'It is a pleasure to meet you.' He says. The Japanese way of greeting, guess he's half Japanese.

Yukimura goes to the kitchen, and then he takes some silver chopsticks from one of the shelves. All three of them are setting up dinner in a harmony; they must have done this too many times already.

The three of them sit down, ready for dinner. They look at us, like they're waiting for us to sit down. Lisa and I awkwardly sit down while all three of them just stare at us.

Willy made us a large steamed fish, fried noodles, finely cut roasted ducks with honey dip, and corn soup for each one of us. There's also a bowl of rice right in front of me, and everyone else. They all look good, and not being able to eat properly for days also works up quite the appetite.

The sons of Poseidon start to dig in quickly; they just gulp in everything they see.

'You're lucky, Annabeth.' Marcus looks at me, 'The last time Willy tried to make Asian food, he managed to almost kill us all.' Marcus smiles.

Yukimura rolls his eyes, 'For the last time. These are Chinese food, they're not from anywhere else in Asia.'

'China is in Asia.' Marcus replies. 'It's the same thing.'

'Not all Asian came from the same country.' Yukimura grumbles, 'And really, what did you expect? You asked a white guy to make good Chinese food, instead of the actual Asian guy here.'

Willy looks at Yukimura with his plain expression, 'You were born in Manhattan, and you're not even Chinese, you're half-Japanese.'

Yukimura smiles, 'Still more Asian than you'll ever be.'

The atmosphere is completely different from five minutes ago, it was really tense and all mysterious back then even though they were in a complete harmony. Now it feels completely like a warmth happy family.

'He pulled it off regardless. This is delicious.' Marcus says.

'You're being too nice, Marcus.' Yukimura says, 'If you had given me the job, you would be eating even better Chinese food right now. I can make better Asian food than him.' Yukimura grins to Willy.

Willy just keeps eating, and without any slight change of expression, 'No, you can't.' Willy declares.

I can't help but smile a little bit. They're bickering just like normal siblings. It's actually pretty funny to see them like this.

Marcus laughs, he turns to me, 'Annabeth, why don't you tell us how the foods taste.'

The three of them stare at me, making me a bit nervous. I pick up my chopsticks and then I try some of the ducks. I dip it in the honey sauce, and then I eat it.

Everyone's stare becomes more intense. Even Willy stops eating, and just looks at me with his chopsticks still in his mouth.

'It's delicious.' I say to them.

Marcus laughs cheerfully. I can see Willy grinning from the corner of his lips while he continues eating.

'She's a guest, she has to say that.' Yukimura smiles to me.

'Aren't you going to eat?' Marcus speaks to Lisa.

I glance at Lisa. She still looks cautious, watching the movements of every son of Poseidon.

'Why are we here?' Lisa asks.

Marcus leans back, 'You can relax, Ms. Heidi. We have no intent—'

'That's not what I asked.' Lisa sharply glances off Marcus, she turns her attention back to Willy. 'What is it that you want from us?'

The smile on everyone's faces vanishes.

Willy pauses, he puts his rice bowl on the table. 'We don't want anything from you. The elder gods put you here, and I do not know nor do I care why they did such things.' Willy says, 'You'll learn that they do things just because they simply thought it might amuse them.'

Lisa snorts, 'So I suppose then we'll just eat like we're best friends, like nothing happened and nothing else is going to happen.' Lisa glares at Willy, 'You betrayed us, you attacked the camp, plotting to destroy Olympus, but worse of all…' Lisa clenches her fists, 'You let your brother murdered an innocent mother and an innocent daughter.'

Willy looks down, 'We all did what we had to do.' Willy looks at Lisa, 'It was all for justice.'

Lisa bangs the table in reaction, 'How is that justice!?' She screams. Lisa looks enraged. 'How is murdering two innocent people be called justice!?'

There's a painful expression on Marcus's face, while Yukimura is just trying not to look at Lisa. Lisa's eyes though are fixated on Willy, and as usual, Willy simply just keeps an expressionless face.

'Just because you're children of one of the big three, you think that it's fine for you to treat other demigod as disposable trashes!? The elder gods supported you, and then you think that you have all the power in this world to wreak havoc on everyone's life. It isn't justice! You're all just some brats that happen to earned power the easy way, without any knowledge of how to use it or how to be responsible with it. You all think that you have nothing to lose, but it causes people to lose lives!' Lisa bursts.

Willy stays silent for a moment.

Willy turns to me, 'Nathan's seat is where you're sitting right now. He misses dinner a lot though. He has to accompany Selene and the others back at the palace.' Willy looks down, 'He complaints a lot about the food here, but he loves it. He especially loves it when we make Italian food.'

Lisa looks a bit confused of what Willy just said, and so do I.

'John is never here. He thinks that we're only family by blood, not an actual family. He thinks that we're only trying to replace our losses with the family that we have now. He thinks that it's a weakness.' Willy says, 'He eats with luxury in the palace, alone with lots of servants.'

Lisa leans in closer to Willy, 'I'm not interested one bit in your family history.'

Willy stays quiet; he gazes at Lisa's chair. There's a hint of pain in his face.

'You're on Matthew's chair…' Willy says. 'He's always late for dinner. He practices a lot with his spear somewhere a bit far, that's why he's always late. He doesn't anyone else to see his training just yet. He even stays up late sometimes just to train.' Willy almost smiles, 'He's always trying to be as good as Marcus.'

'Stop.' Marcus pleads.

Willy is still looking at the chair Lisa's on, 'It's a pity… He loves Asian food. He always tries to get back home earlier if it's Yukimura turn to cook for dinner.'

'Great, so you have three other psychopathic brothers. I—'

'Two, Lisa. I only have two other brothers left.' Willy looks at Lisa. 'Matthew died, recently.'

Lisa pauses, 'That doesn't have anything to do with us.' She says.

'Of course it does.' Yukimura replies.

'Yukimura!' Marcus yells. It sounds a lot like an order to stop talking.

Yukimura ignores Marcus's call, he glances to me, and then back to Lisa. 'Your hero, Percy Jackson, killed Matthew Frost.'

At that very moment, I freeze instantly. Percy killed someone? No, he wouldn't have killed his half-brother, no matter how twisted they might be.

'Lies.' I hiss.

Willy turns to me, 'It's not a lie. Percy plunged his sword right through Matthew's chest.'

It's impossible! I know Percy, and I know that he would try his best to save them all. He would never have done that. And yet… Every fiber in my body is telling me that they're not lying. The sons of Poseidon are convinced that Percy is the one that killed Matthew, but how can that be?

Willy stands up, 'So you see, Lisa, we do have something to lose. In fact, we have everything to lose. You think that we are treating other demigod like trashes? You should take a closer look at the very beings you people are trying to protect. We don't do this because we are bored, we're doing this because we want to let the gods know that they are not invincible, that they cannot treat us like some sort of recycle wastes. The gods are supposed to be our parents, but they do not know the slightest thing about humanity. They played us, they treat us like garbage, and they simply do whatever they want. So if they can't do their jobs properly, then I would destroy their high seats in Olympus, so that no demigod or ordinary human may suffer again from the foolishness of Olympus.'

Willy has a calm expression, but I know that he's angry. His face is trying to keep his composure, but it's obvious enough that he can bursts in anger anytime.

What does being a god has anything to do with it then?

'It's time.' Yukimura says to Willy.

Willy nods to Yukimura, and then Yukimura and Marcus stand up; they all look at Lisa.

'Follow us.' Willy orders us. Lisa looks at Willy like he's really just that crazy. 'You think that we earned power the easy way. I assure you, Lisa, we did not. We had to risk everything, and we lost a lot of things.'

Willy turns around, 'Follow us, and you might be able to finally see, that we all risked everything that we have... And what we could've had.'


	38. Underwater Colosseum

**Sorry beforehand, guys. The format for this one is a little bit different since I wrote it in my phone.**

**Hope you still like it though, enjoy :)**

* * *

We're standing on the edge of a small wooden bridge in front of Willy's house. The bridge leads straight to the deep part of the lake.

'What are we going to do?' I ask.

Yukimura turns back to me, 'We're going for a swim.' He grins to me.  
Marcus grabs my hand, and then he draws something on my right palm with a marker. Some sort of a symbol.  
He's about to do the same to Lisa, but then Lisa brushes Marcus' hand off.  
Lisa glares at Marcus, trying to keep him away from her.

'You're going to need this.' Marcus says.  
Even though it's only a simple sentence, Marcus makes it sound so believable. It's like anything he says, people would believe him. Lisa is no exception; she offers her hand to Marcus even though she doesn't seem to like this one bit.  
Marcus draws the same symbol that I have, on Lisa's palm.

'What is this for?' I show the symbol to Willy.

'Marcus is going to make you able to breathe in water.' Willy answers.  
Before I can ask further questions, Marcus begins chanting in old Greek language, something that you only see in really old Greek relics. Marcus is casting a spell, that's pretty much new to me. Seeing a demigod casting a spell.  
It feels like there's something coating my skin, but when I touch my skin, there's nothing there.  
Marcus nods to us, and then he gives us way to the lake.  
I approach the lake with all three sons of Poseidon watching us. I feel uneasy and a bit distrusting that we'll be able to breathe in water.  
Lisa looks at them, 'I'm not jumping into the water.' She declares.  
Willy sighs, he glances at Marcus. Marcus then approaches Lisa, and then he swiftly grabs her and carries her. Lisa struggles, but Marcus doesn't seem to budge. Marcus jumps into the water alongside Lisa, while Lisa is still trying desperately to break free; Willy almost smiles seeing this.  
Yukimura grins, but it's not directed to Marcus and Lisa, he's grinning to the water. I can feel his longing to go to the water. He runs and then he dives into the water, disappearing completely from our sights.

'Your turn now, Annabeth.' Willy says.  
I glance at him, and then I turn back to the water.  
I close my eyes, and then I take one step forward. I fall to the water, and completely submerging myself. I still hold my breath, and still closing my eyes. Slowly, I try to breathe, and it works. I can feel the air getting to my lungs. I start to breathe normally, and I open my eyes.  
I realized that I can feel the cold refreshing water all around me, but my clothes are still dry when I touch them. It feels a lot like swimming, just that you're able to see clearly and breathe normally underwater.  
The lake is as clear as daylight, with the sun piercing through the water surface, making it easier to spot everything down here.  
Marcus is still carrying Lisa on his shoulder, and Lisa is still doing the same thing, trying to break free from Marcus.  
Yukimura is swimming playfully. He swims really fast, doing somersaults, and a couple other tricks.  
Willy splashes down next to me. He glances at me, and then looks at his brothers.  
Marcus and Yukimura swims deeper into the lake. Willy follows them, and so do I.  
We keep swimming deeper, until finally all lights disappear.  
I keep swimming deeper but I'm swimming blind. Just when I'm about to stop, lights appear from what I assume is the lakebed.  
Thousands of glistening colorful collars bright up like the Fourth of July. It lights up the way deeper into the lake. It's like watching a rainbow up close and under the water.  
Schools of colorful fishes decorating the lake, they're gleaming with sim lights as well. I even recognize some of them; some are not even supposed to exist here.  
A school of whale sharks right past me. We're considered as a part of the ecosystem down here by all the fishes.  
I can see Marcus and Yukimura up ahead, while Willy is right behind me.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' Willy almost whispers.  
I can't lie; this is amazing, even Lisa who was struggling the whole time is now quiet. She's completely taken by the view.  
Is this what Percy sees and feels the whole time he's underwater? I can't help but feeling a little bit envious of him right now.  
Willy swims further down below, and I follow him. We've arrived in front of a large looking cave, a huge grim looking hole serves as an entrance. Both Willy and I enter the cave. It turns out that the cave isn't that big, only the entrance is big. There's nothing but walls of rocks, and the only way left is up to a small opening. Willy signals me, and then we both swim upward. We resurface, although I'm a bit surprised that this part is not drowned in water.  
Somehow, Marcus and Yukimura are already out of sight. I'm sure Lisa is safe with them, I doubt they have any intention to hurt her.  
There's a small looking shore right in front of us. Willy gets out from the water and onto the shore, and so do I.  
There are two lanterns hanging from the ceiling, with the fire lit on. It lights up the small shore. The shore leads to a narrow dark passage; it fits only one person at a time.

'After you, Annabeth.' Willy says.  
It's strange. Any other time, I wouldn't have listened to someone that is plotting the end of the gods, but I figure that if I keep sticking with him, I might know more about what I'm dealing with.  
I enter the narrow passage, and I walk slowly. The path curves to the left, and then to the right. It keeps doing that for a minute or so. From a distance, I can hear cheering, and it gets louder and louder. Finally I can see the end of the passage, alongside it is a blinding blue light. The cheering is practically next to my ears right now.  
I exit the passage, and the blue light blinds me for a moment. I shield my eyes with my hand, while I move away from the light. The cheering on the other hand is as loud as it can be.  
I move away to the right, and finally able to see what's going on here.  
I find myself in some sort of a stadium. The stadium is shaped in an oval shape. The seats are benches like, made from dark colored coral rocks. The stadium's seats are arranged in an escalating way, and a bit close to one and the other. Shining blue rocks are placed on the ceiling to light up the stadium, somehow it gives the feelings like we're still underwater, but still clear enough to see everything. In the middle of the stadium is a field of sand. Four iron gates at each corner of the field, each is twenty feet tall. Hundreds of different underwater beings are here sitting, cheering. There are mermaids, mermen, Cyclopes, even fishes who seem to be sitting down (if that even makes sense).

'Annabeth.' Willy calls, I turn to him. 'This way.'  
Willy leads the way to the stadium box, where Marcus, Lisa, and Yukimura are already there. The box is decorated with colorful reefs, jewels, and seaweed. There are five grand thrones made out of celestial bronze, with jewels shining brightly, decorating them; it's like Christmas trees but they're not gleaming with lights, and they're all decorated with expensive rocks. There's a swinging door at each side of the box. It is connected to the spectator's seats.  
Yukimura sits on the far left chair, the opposite from where I enter. Marcus forces Lisa to sit at the other end, and then he takes a seat right next to her.

'What is this place?' I mutter.

'Exactly what it looks like. This is an arena.' Willy looks at me, 'Welcome to the underwater colosseum.' He says. 'Annabeth.' Willy shows me the chair right next to the middle one, the other one that Marcus is not sitting on.  
I sit down, and then Willy takes the middle seat. The crowd goes even wilder; their cheers are basically roars now.  
On the field, a walking dolphin enters from one of the gates. The dolphin is wearing a simple blue t-shirt that says, 'Dolphin rulez!' It actually looks cute.  
The dolphin walks to the middle of the field, and it has a microphone on one of its fins. The crowd dials down.

'Mermaids, and mermen!' The dolphin announces loudly. It actually has a deep grown man voice, despite its appearance. 'Welcome back to the underwater colosseum!'  
The crowd roars again, shaking the colosseum.

'First, we would like to take a moment of silent...' The crowd goes silent, 'As you all may know, Lord Matthew Frost has recently passed away...' The dolphin looks a little bit sad.

'It's a shame... Lord Matthew Frost has always been this arena's favorite, and always a beloved champion.' The dolphin turns to us, but I think it's looking more at the sons of Poseidon. 'We would like to give you all, our deepest condolences. Lord Matthew would be missed.'  
Willy nods to the dolphin, and then the dolphin nods back.

'Please... Let us take a moment of absolute silent, and pray for Lord Matthew. May he join his other brothers in the afterlife.' The dolphin says.  
Everybody looks down, mourning for this Matthew person.  
The dolphin turns back quickly to the crowd, 'And now that it's over! Shall we begin the game!?' The crowd roars in excitement.  
The dolphin turns to one of the iron gates, 'Introducing, the meanest Cyclopes in the Atlantic Ocean. The three mean beans!'  
The gate opens up, and three large Cyclopes enter the field.  
The name is terrible, something that you expect from a Cyclops, but they don't look nice at all. They're all around eighteen foot tall, wearing white togas. They all carry spiked clubs as their weapon. They all look exactly alike, except each of them is wearing a different color of metal leaf crown; there's brown, yellow, and green.

'Will this finally be the death match that we all have come to see?' The dolphin sounds really excited, it stirs up the crowd even more.  
Lisa snorts, 'So they all cheer because they get to watch a bloodbath, while you all sitting here enjoying it safe and sound. What is it really that you lose?' Lisa sounds disgusted.  
Willy chuckles, 'You're a bit mistaken, Lisa. They do get to enjoy this thing, but here, my brothers and I are never safe.'  
Lisa looks a bit puzzled.

'So now then!' The announcer continues, 'Shall we decide who is going to fight these large terrifying beasts!?' The blue light suddenly focuses up on us.

'After all... We are the main entertainment.' Willy smiles wickedly to Lisa.

'So which one of these three princes of sea that shall have this honor!?' The dolphin announces loudly and excitedly.

The crowd begins chanting names. Some are chanting 'Marcus! Marcus!', some others are chanting 'William! William!', the rest are chanting 'Yukimura! Yukimura!'  
Slowly enough, the name Yukimura begins to prevail. The crowd begins chanting Yukimura's name only.

'I guess it's my turn.' Yukimura grins, he seems to be enjoying this very much.  
Yukimura gets off from his seat, and then he jumps off from the box to the field. He lands on his feet perfectly and the crowd goes wild.  
The dolphin announces, 'Introducing the opponent for these one eyed beasts! The mighty son of Poseidon! One of the princes of the sea! Armed with gauntlets, he fights with his fists! You remember him, folks. This is the man that slew fifty elite mermen all by himself! Lord Yukimura Snow!' The crowd cheers again.

'Let the match.. Begin!' The dolphin immediately runs to one of the gates, it exits right away.

'The primordial gods do not like to waste their time. When I made a deal with them, they wanted proof that my brothers and I are able to do this. So they created this underwater colosseum, and we've been fighting here ever since.' Willy explains. 'Here we fight for our lives. Every moment here could be our last. This is why we are stronger than all of you.'

'There were nine of us, at the beginning.' Marcus mutters. 'Sebastian, Cassandra, and Cornelius didn't make it.' He turns to Lisa, 'We did risk everything... And we have already lost so much...' Marcus has a painful expression on his face.  
The crowd is roaring Yukimura's name, and the Cyclopes roar back at the audience.  
The Cyclopes approach, and are trying to surround Yukimura. Even I can see that this is bad.

'Shouldn't you help him!?' I ask Willy frantically. I know that Yukimura isn't exactly an ally, but he's still a demigod.

Willy looks calm, 'I can't.'

'What do you mean you can't!? He's your brother!' I yell.  
Willy sighs, 'Even if I want to, I'm not allowed to help him. The elder gods forbid it, we are not allowed to interfere with his match. Besides...' Willy turns to me, 'There's no need for me to help him.'  
The Cyclopes charge and then try to smash Yukimura. Yukimura dodges perfectly, and the Cyclopes' clubs smash the ground instead. The clubs barely miss him.  
The crowd goes nuts again.

'You're going to let him die!?' Lisa yells. I guess even she doesn't want to see Yukimura gets pounded into the ground.  
Yukimura's casual expression turns into something else, now he's stone cold hard. His aura and that relaxing feeling around him are gone. All of the sudden, he becomes a completely different person.

'Did you notice, Annabeth?' Marcus asks. 'Yukimura's personality is somewhat an interesting one. When he's in combat, he focuses on nothing else but the fight. He turns his emotions off, and he shows no mercy; he becomes a weapon. The only thing he keeps is his sense of honor.'  
I'm not really that convinced but then the crowd cheers out loud. I look at the field. Yukimura just struck the leg of the Cyclops with the brown leaf crown. The Cyclops' leg is sent up flying, and the Cyclops falls down hard. Yukimura then jumps onto the Cyclops' belly, he lands and then he smashes the Cyclops' stomach with his right fist. The Cyclops disintegrate into dust.  
The other two Cyclopes take a step back, they're cautious now. I think they've realized that Yukimura isn't someone that they can defeat easily.  
The two Cyclopes circle Yukimura, but Yukimura stays still. The Cyclops with the yellow leaf crown takes a stand in front of Yukimura, the green one is in Yukimura's back. They both charge at the same time, wildly swinging their clubs. Yukimura runs toward the Cyclops in front of him, he dodges the club, and then slide down through the gap between the Cyclops' legs. The two Cyclopes collide with each other, and then they tumble down.  
The Cyclopes are on the ground, and Yukimura didn't waste this opportunity. Yukimura jumps again, onto the head of the Cyclops with the green leaf crown. He closes in quickly to the eye, and then he strikes it down. The Cyclops with the green leaf crown bursts into dust.  
The cyclops with the yellow leaf crown gets back on his feet. The Cyclops looks scared, probably because his other two friends are nothing more but dust now.  
Yukimura approaches the last Cyclops, and the Cyclops is unsure of what to do. Finally, the Cyclops looks desperate enough, it charges wildly toward Yukimura. The Cyclops swings his club, in an attempt to smash Yukimura. Yukimura dodges to the side, and the club misses him. Yukimura then leap onto the back hand of the Cyclops. Yukimura runs on the Cyclops arm, toward the direction of the Cyclops' eye. The Cyclops stumbles back, scared of Yukimura. The Cyclops trips, and about to fall down on his back. Yukimura quickly leaps forward, and then he strikes they Cyclops' eye. The Cyclops disintegrate into dust, and Yukimura lands perfectly on his feet.  
The crowd goes wild again, they begin chanting Yukimura's name. Yukimura raises both of his hands, stirring the crowd even more.  
I notice his gauntlets, like sea in form of gauntlets. Can't believe it took me this long to notice that. It looks a lot like the dagger that John used to stab Cathy.

'His gauntlets. What are they made of?' I ask.

'Atlantis Sapphire. Currently there are only five weapons in this world that are made from that mineral.' Marcus replies, 'All of them are in our possession.'

'As for what's so special about them... I guess we'll just keep that as a surprise.' Willy grins.  
I stay silent. Something here doesn't add up, listening to their stories, and watching one of them fight in a death match.

'Why are we here?' I ask.  
There's a moment of silent between us.

'We wanted to show you this.' Marcus replies.

'There's something else, isn't it? I can't imagine that you bringing us here just because you wanted to prove that you all are risking something here.'

Willy turns to me, he smiles a bit. 'Very sharp, Annabeth.' Willy turns back to the field, 'We want to show you our main entertainment tonight.'  
I can feel the horror behind his words, whatever he wants to show us is definitely something that we won't like. I turn back to the field, and the dolphin announcer is already in the middle of the field, next to Yukimura.  
'Praise to Lord Yukimura! Once again he prevails against his opponents!' The dolphin says. The crowd cheers out loud. Yukimura raises his fists once more, and then he exits the field, into one of the iron gates.

'Now then... On to our next and last match.' Another one of the iron gates opens up.  
I can see Willy smiling wickedly from the corner of his lips.  
The dolphin announces, 'He was born more than fifty years ago. This particular demigod has been quite famous for his ability to sneak around. He is able to call upon the spirits of the dead, and able to travel instantly to anywhere. Have I mention that he is also royalty? Currently the only child and heir to the underworld!'  
Oh gods... It can't be.

'Presenting! Nico di Angelo!'  
And then there he is, Nico di Angelo, entering from the opened iron gate. I gasp in horror, he looks a little beaten up, but other than that he looks fine. Still, standing there in the middle of the field in this colloseum can't be good.

'Now then...' The dolphin turns back to the sons of Poseidon, 'Shall we decide who's going to face him!?' The dolphin announces grimly.


	39. The Strongest Demigod

Nico is standing there. It doesn't seem that he's hurt, but he looks confused.

'What is he doing here!?' I panic a bit.

Willy grins, 'We caught him snooping around, back in our palace. It was amazing though. He didn't even leave a single trace of step, we didn't even know that he was there until Eos told us.'

'Let him go!' I yell to Willy.

'Not unless he wins against one of us.' Willy smiles wickedly. 'A son of Hades is just too much of a prize to simply just let go.'  
I was mistaken. I though that they might not be that bad, but the sons of Poseidon are all the same. They're all just as twisted as their little brother, Jonathan River.  
I need to help him, I need to get Nico away from here. I glance at Lisa, giving her a subtle signal. She understands and nods back. Lisa and I are about to run and jump off the box, but before we could do that, Marcus snaps his fingers. Vines start to grow, and then it binds Lisa on her seat.  
Lisa struggles, but it just binds her even tighter.

'Do not be foolish.' Marcus says.

'You too, Annabeth.' Willy warns, and then vines appear and bind me to my chair as well. 'Besides, we're at the bottom of a lake. You can't leave unless we allow you to.' Willy says.

'Now then!' The dolphin continues. It faces the audience, 'Let me hear your choice!'

Most of the audience scream out 'William!'. The choice is obvious.  
I look at Nico. He looks a bit confused of what's going on, but he doesn't look scared.  
I can see Marcus from the corner of my eyes, whispering something to Lisa.  
Willy gets off from his seat, he looks ready to fight. I try to think of a way of getting out of here, but I can't think of anything. The sons of Poseidon got us trapped in this place, and it's almost impossible for us to escape.

'Wait, brother.' Marcus stops Willy right before Willy jumps off from the stadium box.

Willy looks back at Marcus, like questioning what Marcus wants from him.

'Let me fight this one.' Marcus pleads.

Willy looks a bit puzzled, 'The audience requested me.'

'I know. But let me fight this one.' Willy stares at Marcus, full of curiosity. 'Why do you want to fight him?'

'I have my reasons.' Marcus replies. He answers with a solid tone, he has no intention to tell Willy why.

Willy looks like he's thinking, 'The audience wouldn't like it.'

'Then I'll give them a really good show. One they would even crave for more.' Marcus answers.  
Willy pauses for a moment, and then he takes a step back. Marcus takes a step forward, for the audience to see.

'What's this!?' The dolphin looks shocked, but it looks like it's faking its surprised look. 'It appears that instead of Lord William, Lord Marcus would be the one fighting this battle!'  
The crowd boos Marcus, they don't look pleased at all.

'I thought that you're different.' I sneer at him.

Marcus glances at me, 'I am.' Marcus jumps off the stadium box, into the field. He lands perfectly on his feet.  
The crowd still dislikes what they see, but Marcus ignores them, and walks to the dolphin announcers. He's saying something to him, but I can't hear anything from here.

I turn to Nico, he's examining his surrounding, like trying to understand where he is. He finally realized that I'm right here, tied to my chair, his face is like 'What in Hades' name are you doing here, Annabeth?'

He looks like he's worried for me, but I'm pretty sure that he's the one in trouble right now.  
I struggle around, trying to break free, but my efforts are wasted. I look to Lisa, thinking that maybe she has a better luck than me. Strangely, Lisa looks calm. She has a worried look on her face, but she looks calm. She's not struggling one bit. She keeps her eyes on the field.

'Mermen, and mermaids!' The microphone is in Marcus' hand now, the dolphin announcer already walks back to the iron gate. 'Cyclopes, fishes, and any other beings here.' Marcus addresses the audience. 'My apologies. I know that you all want my brother, William, to fight!' Marcus points to Willy, and then he turns back to the audience. 'But I fear that my brother is tired... He has been waging a war against Olympus. He must save his strength.' The crowd boos Marcus again, they don't appear to accept that reason. 'I know that I am not the champion that you chose for this fight! But let me make amends!' He pleads.  
One of the iron gates open, and then two mermen wearing gladiator helmets walk out of there heading to Marcus. They're carrying a black thick looking rope.

'I shall fight this son of Hades, with one hand tied behind my back!' Marcus declares.  
The crowd goes wild after hearing Marcus' announcement. Marcus has complete control over the audience now.  
The two mermen are now right beside Marcus. Marcus hands them the microphone, and then they strapped his left hand to his backs. Marcus' left hand is also tied to his neck. I recognize that type of tying, if Marcus moves his left hand, the rope would also strangle Marcus at the same time. The more he tries, the harder the rope is going to strangle him.  
The two mermen leave the field after they're done tying Marcus' hand. The duel starts right after that.  
Nico unsheathes his blade, he has his battle face on. Marcus on the other hand has his normal face on. He doesn't seem to be taking this seriously. I can't help but feel relieved a bit, Nico is a great fighter, I'm sure that he can defeat Marcus if it's like this.

'Do you feel that he is safe now, Annabeth?' Willy smirks full of meanings. 'Let me tell you something about the man named Marcus Rain. He is a direct descendant of the witch Circe herself, Marcus excels at combat magic and spells. His strength has been said to equal Heracles himself.' Willy has an evil look on his face, 'He is a magic warrior, the most powerful one in the history of demigods. With his blade and magic, he is nearly invincible. His choice of weapon...' Marcus takes out a blue orb, the size of his palm, out of his pocket. He squeezes the orb, and then the orb shrinks at a fast rate and it expands again, but it expands as a 'Greatsword.. or as he likes to call it, Destroyer.' Willy continues.  
Marcus swings his greatsword to the ground. The name Destroyer fits the sword. It lengths almost five feet long and it's almost a foot wide. Anything that gets hammered by that sword will definitely get destroyed. Ironically enough, the Atlantis' Sapphire makes the blade looks beautiful, like a sea trapped in form of a weapon.  
Marcus holds the greatsword with one hand, and he even makes it look easy, like picking up an apple. It gives me clear information that he has a massive strength, anyone that can pick up something like that with one hand and not break a sweat is definitely not normal. Willy isn't lying, even with only one hand, Marcus is still a terrifying opponent.

At that moment, bits of information begin to appear in my head. The name Marcus Rain starts being really familiar right now. A demigod that wields a greatsword that big, his incredible strength, a descendant of Circe and a son of Poseidon, the fact that he lives in the same era with Sophia Hunt. It suddenly hits me, who he really is, and what he's capable of doing.

'Ironheart…' I mutter to Willy.

Willy smiles wickedly, 'Very good, Annabeth… I should have expected you to be able to recognize him.'  
If Marcus really is who I think he is, then Nico is in a really big trouble. Nico realizes that Marcus is a dangerous opponent, I can see it in his eyes. He's more cautious than ever. I'm glad at least Nico doesn't seem to be underestimating this fight.  
Marcus and Nico are walking in circles, facing each other. After a minute or so, Nico makes the first move.  
Nico charges at Marcus, trying to get close to him. It would disable Marcus to attack, it was a good move. Nico moves in really fast, and Marcus has yet raises his blade.  
I don't know why, but for some reason it doesn't feel right. I can't help but have a bad feeling about this.  
I was right. Marcus propels his blade above his head once, it's like he's using a small and light normal gladius. By the time Nico realizes this, it was too late. Marcus sends Destroyer, crushing to Nico's side. Nico does the only thing left, he puts his blade to the side, attempting to block Marcus' attack. Marcus' blade strikes Nico's blade, Nico blocks it beautifully, but Marcus breaks the block, and sends Nico flying to the air. Nico falls down to the ground but not before he hit the walls that surround the field.  
The crowd goes wild after what just happened. Me on the other hand, my heart races really fast. It was just a simple attack from Marcus, but it was executed perfectly. His strength is unrealistic, it is almost unbelievable.  
Nico gets up, his legs are shaking and his clothes are torn off. He's bleeding from the corner of his lips. That one impact from Marcus' attack must have hurt him a lot more than it looks.  
Nico breathes heavily, he's trying to get his strength back. Marcus looks like he's thinking for a moment, and then he plunges his blade to the ground.  
He mutters something, and if I'm right, he's casting a spell. Three wind blades form in the middle of air, Marcus sends them to Nico. The wind blades slice everything, they're fast and sharp, they leave a nasty cut on the ground. Nico leaps to the side, dodging the wind blades. The blades strike the walls, and it leave three holes on it.  
I took my eyes of Marcus for a moment, and so did Nico. When we look for him again, Marcus is already in front of Nico. The wind blades were merely distraction.  
Marcus left Destroyer on the ground, he's basically planning to brawl it out with Nico, using only one hand.  
Marcus swings his arm wildly. Unlike what I saw on Yukimura, Marcus doesn't seem to be able to use martial arts. What I'm seeing right now from Marcus is just pure street fighting.  
Nico dodges them all, despite still catching his breath. Nico fights back, thrusting and slashing. Marcus dodges them all, but Nico grazes Marcus everytime Nico attacks. Nico finishes up by a flying kick, Marcus stumbles back, but he doesn't fall. There are small cuts all over Marcus' body, courtesy from Nico.  
The crowd cheers for Nico, I guess they liked what he just did. I can't help but smile, Nico might just win against Marcus.  
Marcus regains his balance. He approaches Nico again, Nico readies his stance. The moment Marcus steps into his range, Nico lunges and plunges his blade on Marcus' stomach. Marcus didn't react, or at least that's what I thought. Nico's blade strikes Marcus, but it didn't go through. Somehow, it looks stuck in Marcus' body, even Nico himself looks puzzled as he tries to wiggle his sword free.

'A body that is forged by years of training, willpower, and strength.' Willy smiles wickedly, 'Even a son of Hades will have troubles breaking through it.'

'Even if he did break through it, Marcus swayed a little to the side.' Yukimura shows up from behind. 'The son of Hades struck nothing more than just flesh. Marcus' organs are safe.' Yukimura says.  
I turn back to Nico. He's trying to force his sword free. He is so focused in doing so, he doesn't see Marcus' fist until it's right in front of him.  
Marcus' punch connects to Nico's face. I can only imagine the pain Nico has to deal with right now.

'Nico!' I freak out in that instant, Nico just got punched by Marcus' monstrous strength.  
It sends him flying, crashing into the wall. Nico falls face first, and helplessly to the ground.  
The crowd is silent for a few moments, and then they roar in excitement. They begin chanting Marcus' name.  
Marcus grabs Nico's collar, and then he drags them to the middle of the field.  
Nico is unconscious, that much I can tell. Horror begins to fill my head... What is he going to do with Nico? Oh gods... In a colosseum, even if the opponent is no longer able to fight, the decision of life and death is given to the host of the game. In this case, that would be Willy.  
I struggle even more, trying to break free. Willy won't hesitate to end Nico's life, and I have to stop him.  
It's useless, the binds are too tight. I can't escape without any help.  
I check Lisa's condition, hoping that she has more luck than me, but she still just sits there obediently. She focuses on Marcus.

I groan, and then I turn to Willy. I swallow my pride, 'Please! Let him live!' I plead to him, a bit desperate.

Willy turns to me halfway, he smiles, understanding what I meant. 'I don't make the decisions here, Annabeth. I'm a contender, even though I'm sitting here. That decision rests with the audience. After all...' Willy looks to the audience, 'All of these, they're all for them to enjoy.'  
Marcus stands proud in the middle of the field. He waits for the audience to speak. The dolphin announcer runs back to the middle of the field, right after he enters from one of the iron gates.

'Have you ever seen anything like that!?' The dolphin's tone is like trying to incite a riot. The crowd cheers in pleasure, they liked what they just saw.

'This is the power of Lord Marcus Rain!' The dolphin declares, and the crowd follows up with another cheer.

'Now then.' The dolphin calms down. 'What shall it be, for this son of Hades! Shall we grant life to the Ghost king!? Or shall it be death..?' The dolphin asks grimly.

The crowd begins cheering 'Death!', and for a moment there, all hope seems lost.

'Mermen, and mermaids!' Marcus addresses the crowd, suddenly the microphone is already in his hand. His left hand is still tied behind his back. 'I have a request, that I would like to make.'  
The crowd's cheers died out slowly.

'This son of Hades... Has provided me with amusements... I felt his blade, pierced through my body, and it was painful...' Marcus says. The crowd begins murmuring. 'I have felt his power... And I believe that he would grow even stronger! Therefor, I would like to plead, to give him life!'  
I'm shocked and surprised, and partly happy. A smile begins to form on my face, as Willy's smile vanishes. Lisa exhales in relief, on the other hand, she looks like she has been expecting something like this. Did she know all along that this is going to happen?

Yukimura sighs, 'Marcus and his kindness. It's a good thing that he's awfully strong. Kindness kills people.'

Marcus continues, 'Give him life, so that he may grow stronger! And in time... He would return here, and fight me again, and give pleasures to all of you!' Marcus incites the crowd. The crowd response in a cheer, and then they begin chanting, 'Life!'. Soon enough, everyone in the colosseum is chanting the same thing.  
Willy stares at Marcus, and then he just sighs.  
Marcus drops the microphone to the ground. With his one free hand, he picks up Nico, and then puts Nico on his shoulder. Marcus walks out of the field, and into one of the iron gates.


	40. Ironheart

Marcus finishes treating Nico's wound after a couple of hours work. Nico is fast asleep, exhausted from his fight.  
We find ourselves back in Willy's house, the event in the colosseum has finished, for now. Yukimura and Willy went somewhere, leaving only Marcus, Lisa, and I.

I stare at Marcus, full of cuts, but he doesn't look like he's in pain one bit. 'Why did you do it?' Lisa asks.

Marcus glances at Lisa, 'Did what?'

Lisa glares at Marcus, 'You know what I meant.'

'Why did you save Nico?' I follow her sentence.

Marcus stays silent for a couple of seconds, 'Isn't it what you two want?'

'That's not really an answer.' I say.

'Is the answer really important to the two of you?' He turns to Nico, 'He is safe now, and you two are free to leave now.'

Lisa widens her eyes, 'We are?'

'The elder gods have decided that you have seen all you need to see right now, they have set up another portal for the two of you.' Marcus says.

'What about him?' Lisa points to Nico.

'He will be allowed to leave as soon as he regain his strength.' Marcus turns to Lisa, 'Do not worry, no more harm will come to him.' He says with a reassuring tone. He turns to me, 'Shall I guide you two to the portal then?'  
Leaving, that's what I've been craving ever since the first time we arrived here, but now I have so many questions in my mind that need answers.

'Marcus.' I look at him in the eyes. 'I have some questions... Will you answer them?' I plead to him.

Marcus stays silent, he walks to the couch, and he sits there. 'Very well. What do you wish to know, Annabeth? I will answer to the best that I can and allowed to.'  
So many things that I want to ask, but I know right away what I want to know the most first.

'Did Percy really killed one of you?' I ask with a dreadful tone.

Marcus looks down, he doesn't seem to want to answer this, '...Yes' I choke up from hearing the word yes, 'But it wasn't his fault...' Marcus continues.

I widen my eyes, 'What do you mean it wasn't his fault?'

Marcus looks sad, 'Matthew drove himself through Percy's blade... In a way, Percy killed him, but the truth is Matthew killed himself.'

It confuses and saddens me at the same time, 'Why would he do that..?'

He looks at me in the eyes, 'Percy won the duel, but he couldn't kill Matthew. And Matthew... I think in the last minute he grew fond of Percy... So he gave his life to Percy as a gift.'

I'm outrage by that statement almost immediately, 'How can making someone carries the burden of your life is a gift!?' I grabs Marcus' collar, I feel angry.

Marcus stays calm, 'Because Percy cannot kill us... Matthew gave his life so Percy can feel the blood of a brother staining his hands... Now he has a chance, because now he knows how to kill us.' He answers. 'Willy, Yukimura, Jonathan. They all won't think twice to kill Percy. Percy needs the same kind of commitment or else he won't be able to defeat them.'

'You're wrong.' I quickly reply. I let go of Marcus' collar. He raise an eyebrow. 'Percy is strong, the strongest person that I have ever met before in my life.' I harden my face, 'He will defeat Willy, and Yukimura, and any other son of Poseidon. And if I know any better, he would try to safe all of you instead.' I smile to him, knowing full well of what Percy will do.  
Marcus looks surprised, and then he smiles, a real honest smile, with a hint of sadness in it.

'I envy the connection between you and Percy. It reminds me of something that I used to have with Sophia.' He says with a soft tone. He makes it sound like he had a true personal connection with her.  
It's all starting to come back to me now. Sophia Hunt, head counselor of the Athena cabin for four years before finally was taken away from this world in a war.

'Marcus... Are you the real Marcus "Ironheart" Rain?' I ask him.  
He looks surprised, but he nods regardless. 'I'm surprised that you know of me, Annabeth.'  
I bite my lips, I didn't want it to be true. Even in the books that I've read, "Ironheart" is someone that has reached beyond the limits of a normal demigod. I remember it clearly, the end of the story of "Ironheart", he disappeared one day without anyone knowing where he went. He was simply gone without any traces, presumably dead.

'How did this all begin?' I ask him.  
Marcus freezes, he knows exactly what I'm asking about. He stays silent, thinking of something. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be a very good memory since he appears to be really shaken up.  
Marcus exhales, and then he turns to me. 'To know how all of these began, I must first tell you my story.'  
Lisa glances at me, and then she sits down. I sit down right next to her, trying to get comfortable.  
Marcus takes a deep breath, he closes his eyes like he's preparing for something. He opens them again, his eyes are filled with determination.

'I am the eldest son of Poseidon, both in body and mind. I was born in South Carolina in 1846, and I've first arrived in the camp when I was nine years old, a satyr found me and brought me there. My mother died three months before I've arrived in the camp, and I had no other family. I was the only son of Poseidon back then, at least I think I was. I lived in that big cabin all alone, with no siblings at all. Life in camp was a bit lonely, especially when you're a son of the big three. Everyone around you felt threatened and uncomfortable, they all thought that you are more special than them. Even when they were being nice to you, you could still feel the distance that they put. No one truly understood you, that is at least until I met Sophia Hunt.' He smiles all of a sudden, gleefully and happily. 'Sophia was the only one who didn't feel threatened by me, she even had a nickname for me, Prawn Head.' He chuckles. 'She said that she called me that because apparently I kept my brain and my waste at the same place. It was quite mean, but at the same time, it was relieving. She was the only one who can talk normally to me, even made fun of me.' He smiles, with a hint of sadness in that smile.  
Marcus slightly shifts his position.  
I just realized this by now but somehow, Marcus is similar to Percy. They don't really look-alike, but they have the same eyes. Not the sea's eyes, but the same kind of gentle feelings you get when you look into their eyes. You can feel the kindness in his eyes with just one look. He may look a bit intimidating, but there is no doubt that he is a kind person. The same comfortable feeling you get when you're near them, that you can always count on them, that they will protect their friends and families no matter what. It's crazy to say, but I don't think I can hate Marcus no matter how much I try. No other son of Poseidon gives me this kind of calming feelings. It's a bit saddening to think that he's an enemy.  
'My life became brighter after I met Sophia... I found friends who finally accepted me for who I am, not because I'm a son of Poseidon. The next five years in the camp were the happiest years in my life. Sophia and I fell in love after five years of trying to deny our feelings for each other.' He stops and thinks, and then he chuckles. 'Then again, it was more of her trying to deny it. I accepted them long before she did. She punched me whenever I got too close, made fun of me whenever I did something stupid, one time she even kicked me off from the third floor just because I tripped and accidentally kissed her forehead.' Marcus' face brightens up in that instant. He laughs again. 'Which is strange because at that time she already kissed me twice before. She told me that she only did that because she thought that I was going to die, and most of the times I actually believed her. Gods, I was really clueless back then.'  
Listening to his story makes me see more and more of Percy in him. Even his life is similar to Percy, it makes me wonder, will Percy grow into someone like Marcus? I've heard the stories about Ironheart, they said that Ironheart was the kindest and the strongest demigod, two qualities that can rarely be found in a person. Yet here he is, Marcus "Ironheart" Rain, with the same kindness and strength that the stories have told. It relieves me a bit to think that Percy might grow into someone like Marcus.  
Marcus face darkens, 'Then comes 1861... The civil war.' Marcus holds his hands. He looks down. 'That was the time when they named me"Ironheart".'

'You took part in the civil war?' I ask.

Marcus sighs, 'In a way, yes. It was quite ironic, I was born in South Carolina but I joined the Union.'  
Lisa holds her open palm hand against Marcus' face, the other hand holding her face, 'Wait wait wait... I never heard of demigods participating in the civil war.'

'We didn't. At least not in the normal civil war... Something else took part that at that time, in fact, it may had been the real war all along.'

I can feel my breath getting shorter by each minute, 'What happened?'

Marcus grits his teeth, 'The Centauromachy. The Lapiths are the union, and the Centaurs are the confederate. Things that have happened in the past, they tend to repeat themselves again in the future.' Marcus turns to me, 'You should know... You fought against Kronos.'  
He's right, it's all bound to happen again one way or the other. It's not surprising that something like the Centauromachy happened again.

Marcus continues, 'We fought the war for three years. Lost many good comrades, but Sophia and I held on. They named me "Ironheart", because of my unwavering will and conviction...' Marcus faintly smiles, 'Funny... They all looked up to me because of this, but Sophia was the only thing that kept me going through each night... Without her, I wouldn't even be here today.' Marcus face's darkens again, 'We were winning the war, and it looked like it was going to be over soon.' Marcus clenches his fists, 'Then there they came... Out of nowhere, camping right outside our border.'

I lean even closer, 'Who came?'

Marcus looks angry, 'Demigods... But nothing that we have ever seen before, they fought differently, with different weapons, and with a single unity. We didn't even know that a large group of demigods like that could exist outside of the camp.' Marcus looks up to the ceiling, 'It's been so long that I don't even remember how it all started nor can I remember the reason we fought... All I can remember is that we were at another war.' Marcus looks back to us, 'Finally after many planning and preparation, both sides march to war against each other... The enemies were strong, they were much more united than us, much more efficient in a war. But we had many powerful campers back then, including the genius strategist, Sophia Hunt. The battle took three days long, so much blood was spilled... And I lost everything that day.' Marcus' eyes are suddenly filled with despair and sadness. 'Sophia was struck from behind by a spear... It went straight through her chest.' He clenches his fists tightly. His face shows all signs of hopelessness. 'Her grey eyes... And her dying face... Looking at me, smiling as blood spills out from her chest and lips... That is the one thing that I can still remember clearly until today...' Marcus adjusts his breathing, trying to keep his composure. 'Driven by rage... I unleashed the full limit of my powers upon the enemies, slaughtering dozens of them without mercy. I don't know how it all stopped but by then both sides have withdrawn. I bathed in the blood of my enemies. When my friends saw what I have become... They were terrified of me.'  
Marcus' face turns dead cold, a face of a murderer. It sends chill down my spine to see that kind of expression on Marcus' face. It was kind and gentle at one second and it turns into the opposite in the next.

Marcus' face softens up, he's trying to stay calm, but I can see this story is shaking his heart.  
'The gods saw the bloods that have been spilled that day, and then they finally decided to take measure. They split us apart, putting them somewhere else that we don't know about. And then comes the memory wiping spell.' Marcus continues.

I widen my eyes in shock, 'What memory wiping spell!?'

Marcus stays silent for a minute, 'The gods decided to wipe the memories of everyone about that battle, so that everyone will forget about it and never encounter the other side anymore. Those who can still remember and the immortals, were made to swear on the river Styx that they shall never again speak of it.'

'What about you then?' Lisa asks. 'If you still remember, then wouldn't it be breaking your oath by telling us this?'

Marcus shook his head, 'I didn't swear on the Styx... I didn't want to forget about the war, I wanted to remember about Sophia, every single scene...' Marcus looks up briefly, but his stare is empty.

'I wanted to die at that time... I've lost Sophia, and I had no more reason to live... I was enraged by the gods because they wanted to erase that part of history without ever remembering who died in that battle.' Marcus sneers. 'They crowned me a war hero... Many of the gods congratulate me, even Poseidon... But all I can feel was disgust... Sophia died and no one is going to remember her, and nothing I can do about it... So before the gods casted their petty spell, I ran away...' Marcus looks sad. 'Wanting to die, I march straight to the centaur's stronghold. There were still around fifteen hundreds of centaurs in that stronghold, and I had only one hundred and fifty Lapiths behind me. It was a suicidal move, but I didn't care, I wanted to die an honorable death. Strangely though, after eight hours of fighting, I found myself still alive. I took the stronghold and lost only a hundred Lapiths. The war was effectively over after that, the remaining centaurs scattered and the Lapith had won.' Marcus stares blankly at his hands, as if he's looking at a different version of his hands. 'I realized at that point that looking for an honorable death would be useless. No one would remember Sophia even if I died, and Sophia should be remembered for how she truly lived and died. So I decided that I would live on, I would remember how Sophia really died, for the camp. I won't let the only people that know Sophia are the ones that read about her in a story that the gods wrote.' He looks at me with eyes that have no regrets. 'Ironheart died that day, as far as people concerned. I traveled again after that, looking for a way to become immortal.'

'And then you found the casino.' I continue him.  
Marcus looks surprised for a moment, and then he nods. It's all starting to make sense, the dots are connecting with each other. How no one ever knew about them before, how they all stayed under the radar for so long.

'What casino!?' Lisa looks a little bit annoyed and confused. 'And what does that have anything to do with your creepy leader!?'

'Lotus hotel and casino. Let's just say that once you enter, you will never want to leave or age. As for my brother, I'm about to get there.' Marcus shifts position, 'Over the years, I began thinking about the injustice that the gods have spread. I knew right away that there will be many demigods that will suffer the same fate as Sophia's, or mine, or even worse. So with my magic, I tracked down every son of Poseidon that live... And then I see Willy, dying, and I knew right away that I had to save him.'

Lisa glares, 'Really? Some choice that was. No your precious brother ends up trying to destroy Olympus.'

Marcus roars, 'He is my brother!' It startles both me and Lisa, we both stumble back. Marcus growls. 'He's family... And I swore never again to lose my family if I can help it.'

Marcus' anger fades right away, he looks bitter now. 'After that, we both track down our brothers and sisters, those who share our fate. We saved them, and I had a family once again. I was satisfied with what I had, but Willy had nothing but rage in his heart. He wanted revenge, and many of our siblings felt the same. Over the years we tracked down more of our siblings, and then Willy began to move. He went in search for the beings that can topple down the gods of Olympus. He needed beings that can grant him his wishes, but he didn't want them to replace the gods, so the titans were out of questions. Immortals are selfish, all of them, titans are no different from gods. That's what he said. So he searched for the first beings, the protogenoi.'

'He found Gaea.' I mutter.

Marcus nods, 'He made a deal with the goddess. And the rest after that, is as you know it.'  
All of us stays silent after that, it's a lot of information to process. No one says a word about anything for a long ten minutes.

I look at Marcus in the eyes, 'You never wanted any of these.'

Marcus looks down full of guilt, he shook his head, 'No, I don't... I've lost four siblings already because of this war, and I may even lose more... I want to stop this war more than anything else in the world...'

'Then join us... Help us stop this war. I know that Percy doesn't want this as well, he doesn't want this war just as much as you don't.' I try to persuade him.  
Marcus smiles sadly to me, 'I cannot, Annabeth... They are my family... I cannot leave them, nor can I betray them... I love them too much.'

I bite my lips, trying not to get angry 'Isn't Percy your family as well!? He is just as much your sibling as the other sons of Poseidon.' I don't want them to ever fight, it would just be too sad.

Marcus smiles gently at me, full of kindness. 'Percy has you, Annabeth. He has friends that he can count on. He doesn't need me, he has all of you to support him... My brothers on the other hand have no one but me... That is why I cannot abandon them...'  
Deep down I know that it can't be done... But still, I silently wish in my heart that the day will never come when Marcus and Percy fight each other.  
Yukimura abruptly enters the house. All our attention shifts to him almost immediately.

Yukimura looks at Marcus, he looks serious instead of his normal playful self. 'It's time.'

Marcus stands up. 'Annabeth, Lisa. Come... It is time for you two to leave.' Marcus walks out of the house with Yukimura.  
Lisa and I stay there for a couple of minutes, before finally getting up and leave the house.  
The moment we take a step out of the house, we are greeted by the presence of an army. My jaws drop, and my eyes widen with shock.  
The army consists mainly of earth spawns, but it has some Cyclopes, telekhines, and even harpies. I don't know exactly how many of them are here, but there must be around a thousand of them, maybe even more. I gulp, fearing of what they will use this army for, and I even have a pretty good idea about what they're after.  
The three sons of Poseidon are facing them, and next to them is another portal, which wasn't here before. They all turn to me and Lisa, waiting for us.  
It's clear of what we need to do. Lisa and I walk to the portal, and then suddenly Marcus stops us.  
Marcus grabs my arm, he leans next to my ears, he whispers to me, 'I cannot stop Willy... But if there is someone who can, it would be Calypso.' Marcus pulls back, he looks me in the eyes, 'Keep her alive, she is the key in stopping all of these.'

I bite my lips, 'What is this army for!?'

Marcus stays silent for a minute, 'You know full well what this is for... It's for a war against camp half blood.' Marcus glances at the portal, 'The portal will take you back to your friends. Chiron has been briefed about this, you'll know of what to do then. Now go, Annabeth. War is coming.' Marcus' face turns grim.  
I knew the answer, but I just wished that it wouldn't be true... War means a lot of people are going to die, just like last year. I bite my lips even harder, not realizing that my lips are bleeding for a moment.

'Annabeth...' Lisa mutters.  
I turn back to Lisa, somehow she looks resolved.

'I'm staying here.' I stare at her like she's crazy, but before I can say anything else, she continues. 'Someone needs to stay behind and observe them... Besides, I don't trust these guys that much to leave Nico behind.'  
I examine her face, it doesn't seem anything I say at this point will change her mind. I turn to Marcus with a pleading face.

Marcus nods, 'Don't worry. I'll keep her safe, my brothers will not touch both Nico and Lisa. They would have to go through me.'  
I exhale in relief, and then I nod. At least I know Marcus will stay true to his words. I turn back to the portal, about to go in but then Willy stop me.

'Wait, Annabeth.' He says  
I turn to him, and then smiles wickedly.

'Before you go, you should see what other surprise we are going to send to your friends'  
Willy snaps his fingers, and then the lake behind him looks like it's about to erupt. Something then surfaces from the lake, something large and horrifying.

I stare at the creature full of terrors, my jaws drop, 'What in the gods' name is that!?' I scream in despair.


	41. Indonesia

**Sorry for being late for this one lads. I've been on a vacation and forgot to mention it previously**.

**Well, anyway, again sorry for the delay. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yukimura swings his fist, it's a sharp mean left jab. I duck quickly, anticipating his jab. He quickly follows up with a series of elbows and knees. I keep blocking and swaying from his strikes. At the end, he uses a lightning fast uppercut. i manage to sway to the right, but his fist grazes my cheek. He continues with a fast spin and kick, aimed at my face. I quickly use my left hand to push away his feet, changing the direction of the kick. He's open wide because of that kick, and then I take one quick and wide step toward him. I use the back of my sword to hit him, but when I raise my blade, I freeze. I feel a sting of pain in my back, I slowly look back and I see the young son of Poseidon with his dagger plunged deep into my body.  
The scene then begins to fade, and then I see something else. A young boy playing in the field of grass, under the bright shining ray of the sun. He rolls around, jumps around, and slides around. His mother is sitting under a nearby tree, watching his son with a smile on her face.  
Behind the woman, sea foams begin to gather and forms. Poseidon appears our of the sea foams, holding a bag of toys over his shoulder with one hand. Poseidon approaches the woman from behind and then closes her eyes with his other hand. The woman smiles, she quickly turns around and she gives him a quick smooch. Poseidon smiles, and then he turns to the boy. The young boy sees him and runs straight to him. Poseidon drops the bag of toys, he spreads his arms and then catches the young boy. He picks up the boy and the boy kisses Poseidon in the cheek.  
They look like one big happy family, until suddenly the woman starts coughing violently. Poseidon and the boy still haven't noticed, the woman tries to hide it but she keeps coughing until finally she coughs out blood. The woman looks at her own hands wet with blood. She looks at them with horror on her face, and then she collapses to the ground.  
Poseidon is the first to notice this, he quickly puts the boy on the ground and dashes straight to the woman. The young boy just stands there, staring at both Poseidon and the young woman with a completely helpless face.  
I slowly open my eyes, taking me a couple of seconds before realizing that it was all only a dream. I sit up and find myself in what it appears to be a cabin room made from woods. It looks like a hotel room.  
The furnitures are really simple. The cabin only has a pair of beds, one for each person, and I'm sitting in one. There's a small wooden desk that separates the two beds. On the small wooden desk is a small lamp and a telephone. A small tv is placed on another wooden desk, at the opposite side of the beds. There's also a wardrobe right next to the door.  
Scratch what I've said earlier, this place looks exactly like a hotel room. The door creaks open, and it shifts my attention to the door right away.

Calypso sees me, and then she yelps, 'Percy!' She dashes to me and hugs me. 'You're up!' She says happily.  
Calypso is dressed differently. She's now wearing a white bikini that reveals her perfectly slim waist, stomach, and her flawlessly perfect slightly tanned skin, alongside a linen cloth with flower motive, wrapping the lower part of her body from the waist until the knees. Her hair is still braided over one shoulder, but there's a single red rise tucked behind her ear and a couple of other flowers slipped between her hair. There can't possibly exist a mortal who won't blush after seeing this, her appearance is enough to make ten men fall in love with her at once.

She took me by surprise, I stop breathing and thinking for a minute before realizing what just happened. I slowly put my arms around her as well, I smile. 'Yeah, I'm fine.'

She pulls back, and then she exhales in relief. She looks sadly at me. 'I-I've been so worried. You've been asleep for five days, I thought that you'll never get up.'  
The memories start to come rushing back at me. That dream, the one where I was struck down by that young son of Poseidon, it was real. It really did happen.  
I quickly lift my shirt to check the wound. I was sure that he really got me that time. The upper part of my stomach is wrapped in bandages, I slowly run my hand on the wound, I can barely feel the wound. I wince a little from the slight feeling of pain, the wound is almost closed up perfectly. It's unbelievable, how did something like that manage to close up in several days? More importantly, how is it that I'm still alive? I know for certain that the dagger hit a vital point.

I slowly turn back to Calypso. 'What happened.. I mean after I got stabbed.'  
Calypso's face darkens, as if dreading to remember what happened. She looks away slightly, her face looks sad.

'I-I couldn't save you, Percy...' Tears start rolling down her eyes and cheeks. 'I tried to heal you after you collapsed, but it didn't work... My song somehow wasn't able to affect you... I thought that I lost you for good.'  
I feel bad right away. Her perfect face is now drenched in tears, her cheeks are red and her eyes are puffy. She must have been crying for days, and now I made her cry again. It's impossible not to feel sad and guilty when seeing tears as gentle and innocent as Calypso's.

I pat her head and smiles. 'I'm sorry... For making you worried. But I'm fine now, so you don't have to cry anymore.' I try to assure her.  
She looks at me, and starts to calm down. She wipes away her tears, but her face is still red. Gods, I forgot how beautiful she can be.  
I think again, if Calypso wasn't the one who save me, then who did? Who was powerful enough to drive away two sons of Poseidon? Certainly can't be only one person.

I stiffen, 'How is it that I'm still alive?' I ask her.

Calypso looks down slightly, 'He said that his name was Marcus Rain, the eldest son of Poseidon.' Calypso looks me in the eyes, 'He's the one who saved you, Percy. He used magic, a really powerful one, something that I don't see often from a demigod.'

My eyes widen, 'Why did one of them even bother to save me? I thought that they all want me dead!'

Calypso shook her head, 'I don't know, Percy, I really don't. He said that-' Calypso bites her lips, 'He said that if there is any chance to stop this war, I would be the key. He asked me to tell you to protect me no matter what the cost.' Calypso looks down guiltily. 'I'm sorry... For being so much of a burden...'

I exhale and then I smile, 'You're not a burden. You're a friend, and friends protect each other no matter what.' I scratch my head. 'What did Marcus mean when he said you're the key?'  
Calypso thinks, 'I don't know. I didn't think that I can even significant to this war.'  
Marcus Rain, the eldest son of Poseidon. Could he be that person that I saw with Willy and that young son of Poseidon? If he wants to stop this war, why didn't he just tell his brothers to stop it? Or even join our side.  
I shook my head, there's no reason to think too much about it. I'll just find the answers later.

I look around examining the room, 'So where are we anyway?' I ask.  
Calypso smiles, she pulls me out of the bed. 'Take a look for yourself, I think you're going to like it.'  
I let her pulls my hand. When the door opens, the sun blinds my eyes immediately and for a moment. I walk out slowly, and finally get the sun out of my eyes. I can smell the ocean breeze and the calm noise of the waves.  
I look around, trying to figure out as where this place is. It looks a lot like a beach resort. Dozens of people wearing Hawaii t-shirts and short beach pants are walking around on the road. Palm trees are everywhere, and almost everyone is holding a drink with a funny straw. The air here is warm, almost hot actually, but the ocean breeze makes the air here nicer. Straw wooden huts are everywhere, from holiday cabins, hotels, to bars and cafes.

Calypso turns to me gleefully, 'We're in Indonesia! Or at least that's what everybody's been saying.'

'Indonesia..?' I mutter, I've never been to Indonesia before in my life. Even though the primordial gods have been warping me here and there, it still comes as a surprise to find myself so far away from home right now. 'Where exactly in Indonesia?' I ask.

'This is one of the private islands in the thousand islands.' An unfamiliar voice says from behind.  
I turn around and see a man with tanned skin, dressed like an english butler, probably a local here. He seems to be at his late twenty. He's carrying a silver plate on his right hand with a letter on the plate.

'Mr. Percy Jackson?' He says with a stuttering Asian accent.

'That's me.'  
The butler offers me the letter on the plate. I take the letter, he then slightly bows and leaves us.

'Who was that?' Calypso asks.  
I turn the letter around, there's a small hourglass stamp on the front of the letter.

I stare at the letter. 'I don't know.' I tear it open. 'But there's only one way to find out.'


	42. The Purest Form of Love

Being in a tropical country feels really different from back home. I'm starting to understand why so many people keep going to tropical countries like Indonesia. The sun is really warm, it's hot actually. It's the perfect place to get yourself tanned.  
I've changed to a Hawaiian t-shirt and short beach pants with a pair of beach sandals and sunglasses.  
We enter "Eternity", one of the wooden café huts, looking for someone who we have absolutely no idea how the person looks like and not even a gender. All we know is that the letter specifies for us to go here and we'll be able to find them.  
I grumble in my thoughts the moment we set foot here, gods are really alike whether they are the elder gods or the Olympians, they only tell so little information and expect us to work it out. I guess they're doing it on purpose, it's fun after all for them to watch us struggle.  
I look around in the hut, they don't really have doors or windows, the doors and windows are simply empty spaces, probably so the tourists can feel and enjoy the scenery and the breeze. Then again, it's pretty standard for cafes and bars like this to have this kind of design in a tropical country. The entrance is on the both sides of "Eternity", allowing people to come and go as they please. The bar has a great view of the beach and the ocean, at the opposite end of the bar is the normal chairs and tables.  
I look around, trying to find this mysterious person that told us to come here. It shouldn't be that hard, so far the people that want to see us is either strange freaky gods, or people that want to kill us.

'Mr. Jackson.' Says a man sitting on the bar. 'Please take a seat.' He gestures to the seats next to him.  
He has a buff body, wearing a white plain t-shirt and a short white pants. Somehow he looks quite normal actually, except for his face.  
He has silky thick brown hair that is pushed back, some of his hair escape to his forehead. He's handsome, and around the age of early thirty, but that's not the weird part. His face somehow looks timeless... Like it has that feature that makes you think that time has no effect on his face. He has a regal face that makes him look like a king in Europe. Also... Instead of pupils, he has clocks as eyes.  
I take a seat next to him, and Calypso sits next to me.

'So which god are you?' I ask right away.

He smiles, 'Can't you tell, Mr. Jackson? Do my eyes not give you the answer that you seek?'

I roll my eyes, 'I'm sorry, I must have missed "Get to know the primordial gods" class.'

He chuckles, 'Even in the presence of an almighty power, you have yet show fear... Interesting, it's not like you do not know fear.. You just chose to confront it. That's what I call true bravery.'

I don't feel happy at all from his praise, it feels like nothing good can ever come from the gods, not even a simple praise. 'Thank you, but what I want to know is who you are.' Even I can feel my gratitude is hollow.

He smiles to me, 'I am Aeon, the personification of Eternity.'

I raise my eyebrow, 'Eternity?'

He smirks, 'When someone talked about forever and ever, they were talking about me. When they talked about eternal time, I was the one they mean by that. In a way... I am a purer form of love than Aphrodite herself. Nothing is more beautiful and romantic than eternal time. You might even say that the idea of immortality is based on me.'

I look to him carefully. 'Why did you summon us here?'  
The bartender places a long drink glass with orange liquid inside and a funny straw in front of Aeon.

Aeon takes the glass, and holds it out. 'Long Island ice tea, Mr. Jackson?' He asks.

'I'm underage.'

He chuckles, 'What does age have to do with anything, Mr. Jackson? You have done so many heroic things that one person cannot hope to do even in multiple lifetimes. Age is merely a number, Mr. Jackson. What matters is what you've done during your time alive.' He says.

'And I'm on a quest to save Olympus, I don't have the time to sit idly here sipping drinks.' I reply.

Aeon sighs, 'Such a rush... Then again, you mortals are always in a rush because of your limited time.'  
Aeon snaps his fingers. Suddenly everything else stops moving except for Calypso and I. The people around freeze where they stand and sit, the balls that have been thrown are now hanging still in the air. The wind stops breezing and the gulls stop chirping. It's like someone just hits a giant pause button on the world, it feels like—

'Time has frozen.' Aeon finishes the sentence in my mind.

I look to him cautiously, 'What did you do!?'

Aeon shrugs, 'Since you appear to be in such a rush, I'm giving you more time.' Aeon smirks, 'Now how about that drink?'

I stay silent for a minute, 'I still have to say no.'

Aeon sighs, he turns to Calpyso, 'What about you, my dear sweet Calypso..?'

Calypso looks uncomfortable with Aeon, 'Thank you, Lord Aeon, but I have to say no as well.' She says respectfully.

Aeon drinks from the straw, he shrugs, 'What a pity, to not start enjoying the little things in life earlier.' He smirks, 'Especially when you might die anytime soon.'

'I appreciate the concern but can you tell us why you summoned us, now?' I ask impatiently.

Aeon points to a lighthouse that looks small, probably because it's at the far end of this island, 'Your destination lies at the top of that tower, Mr. Jackson. We will be waiting for you there.' He smirks.  
Strange, I never notice the pale white lighthouse before, even though it's hard not to notice that.

'Aeon, I have a question.'

He looks intrigued, 'Ask away.'

'Why are we really here? I've been thrown from one part of the world to the other without ever really knowing why. What lies there, at that lighthouse? What do you want from us?'

He smiles, 'Getting a bit sick of saving the world, are you now? What would your friends think if they see the hero of Olympus' faith and belief are wavering.'

I shook my head, 'No, I'm just sick of you gods.' I mean every word that I've said. I just really want an explanation from my dad, why did he abandon Matthew..? Why didn't he save him? If he had helped Matthew and his mother, Matthew wouldn't have died. He probably could have lived a long happy life and died naturally. Not by the edge of my blade.  
I bite my lips, remembering again how I ended his life.

Aeon glances to the lighthouse, 'Worry not, Mr. Jackson. In that lighthouse lies the answer to your question, and with it, a way to return to your beloved.'  
Annabeth... Her face comes across in my mind once more... It feels so long since I last saw her, maybe it has already been that long. I miss her so much that it hurts do bad.

'I'm guessing that you won't just hand them to me?' I sneer.

He smiles wickedly, 'Now where's the fun in that..?' He takes one last sip at his drink, and then he stands up. 'We'll be waiting, Mr. Jackson.'  
He starts to glow brightly. Both Calypso and I turn away. The light dissipates slowly, and Aeon is gone from sight. Everything starts to move again, like someone just pressed play on the world. I don't know if what Aeon did affect the whole world, but it's scary to think that they can easily influence this planet however they see fit.

Calypso touches my shoulder, 'Percy, don't go.' She looks to me with pleading eyes.  
I look to her, unsure of what to say. She's right after all, whenever a primordial god told me to go somewhere, I ended up hurt, or worse.

'We don't have much choice.' I say to her.  
She looks down sadly, I'm sure she knows that I'm right as well. If we want to proceed forward, we have to do what they say.  
I clench my fists, remembering what I've said to Pontus. I swore that I would never play by their rules, but I only have one objective and that is to save all the other sons of Poseidon. I will smash this game apart, even if it requires me playing it nicely before I am able to do so.

I sigh and forces a smile, 'Let's go.'  
Calypso nods, but she's not convinced.  
We get off from our seats and start walking toward the lighthouse. It took us half an hour and a lot of asking around before we're finally able to stand in front of the lighthouse. Surprisingly enough, Calypso speaks fluent Bahasa, the national language in Indonesia. She told me that there's actually a lot of other types of language here in Indonesia, but mainly everybody speaks Bahasa. She also mentioned that Malaysia is using a similar kind of language which they also call Bahasa. From reading that many books over the centuries, she said. It's funny to think that we could finally enjoy walking around here in a resort island even if it's just for a couple of minutes while Calypso told me a bit about Indonesia. I wish that Annabeth could have been here with me... Gods, I miss her.  
The lighthouse that stands in front of us is pale white in colors, and has a lot of cracks all over it. It's around ten meters tall, shaped like a tall slim cylinder and looks really big from all the way down here. No light is coming out of the top of the lighthouse. Figures, there's still a lot of daylight after all. There's only one entrance and no windows, the main door is colored gray, like it's not depressing enough already.  
I approach the main door and reach for the handle. I pause when I hold the handle, I turn back to Calypso while still holding the handle.

'Are you ready?' I ask.  
Calypso looks scared, but she nods.  
I takes a deep breath and let it out, and then I turn back to the door and turn the handle, I swing the door open.


	43. Power

**Hey guys! I'm currently looking for an artwork drawer that can draw me the sons of Poseidon!**

**If you are interested or know anyone that is interested, please PM me! Thanks!**

* * *

I swing the door open, and enter the lighthouse with Calypso right behind me.

'Whoa.' I mumble the moment I see the interior of the lighthouse.  
There are thousands of iron gears grinding each other from as big as a peanut to twice the size of a Cyclops. They're filling all four sides of the walls, which is weird because I could've sworn that the lighthouse is a cylinder, but here in the inside it's a rectangle, not to mention that it feels to be a lot wider and bigger inside than from the outside. They look like the inside parts of a really big heavy machinery; it looks kinda cool actually.

'This place is clad with magic.' Calypso says to me.

I raise my eyebrow, 'Is that a good thing or a bad thing.'

Calypso thinks for a moment, she looks around. 'I'm not sure, but all of these here are a product of magic. These gears are moving because of magic, and they are here because of the same reason. So is all the space around us.'  
That explains the rectangular room in a cylinder lighthouse.

'Right... Let's just get a move on.'  
There's a set of stairs ahead of us, spiraling up in a square motion. We start climbing the stairs, the stairs keep going up until finally after around ten minutes of climbing, it leads us to a small gap that serves as an entrance to the next floor.  
The floor would have looked a lot like ceilings from down there, if not for the stairs. Cemented tiles are covering the entire ground of the second floor, you can't look down to the first floor from up here and you can't look up to the second floor from down there.  
The second floor is really similar to the first floor; with all gears grinding, placed all over the walls; but the second floor is way wider than the first floor. It's definitely magic, since the space here is too wide and big to be placed inside the lighthouse.  
We look around for a way to go ahead, and then we see a small platform at the far left side of the room from the entrance. It has a short stair at each side, and the platform leads to a small iron door. We follow the only path remaining. We swing open the iron door, finding ourselves in different scenery.  
This time it's a wide room, three meters high and yellow hard floor; the floor appears to be made of some sort of a mixture of rock, sand, and cement. The ground is smooth with no flaw whatsoever. There's an archway at each side of the room that has the design of a giant bronze bull's head opening its mouth, they look like gateways, which I'm hoping they're not. Inside the mouth is too dark for me to see, and I have no intention to find out by getting closer. Next to the massive bulls' head are gears that are strapped to the wall, hopefully not connected to the heads. They're not grinding or moving or doing anything though, so I assume it's not operating at the moment. There's a wide small short steps that leads to the middle of the room, and there's another at the other end, leading to another door at the far opposite end of the entrance. When I take a better look, the short small steps is placed at four sides of the middle of the room, a rectangular shape, it somehow reminds me of an arena. It looks like an arena.  
I shook my head. That's a thought that would bring bad luck.

'Percy... I don't like it here, the magic in this room is overwhelming... And not the nice kind of magic...'

I turn to her, and she's trembling with fear. Her lips and hands are quivering and her face is pale.

'It's gonna be okay, trust me.' I try to assure her, though I'm not sure how effective my words can be.  
I start walking, skipping down the steps and stride, heading to the door. Calypso is half-running right behind me. She and I both want to leave this room as fast as we can. I don't particularly like those bulls' heads, they look like they're going to throw up something that I'm not going to like one bit.  
Right when we get to the middle of the arena-like space, the gears on the wall start moving. Whatever engine or machine that the gears are for, it seems to be fully operational. It's making a lot of noises.  
I stop for a second to wait for Calypso to get ahead of me. I push her forward, hurrying her up while I still look around cautiously.  
Both of the giant bulls' eyes light bright red. Smoke shoots out of the bulls' horns.  
Calypso, half-running, turns halfway to me, looking really worried. She doesn't have to say anything, I can see it in her face that something bad is at work right now.  
The ground splits beneath us slowly, separating me and Calypso.  
She panics. I grit my teeth, 'Go!' I yell to her. She looks reluctant at first, but I shoot her a glare, not wanting to argue about this one bit. She makes a run toward the door, understanding my glare.  
I take a couple step back. There's an opening on the ground right in front of us. A pair of crimson eyes light up from that hole, and then something jumps out of there. When it lands, the ground shakes and it makes a loud noise.  
It takes me a whole five seconds before finally realizing what it is, a massive Colchis Bull. It breathes heavily, its red eyes are glowing, it seems ready to maul me at anytime.  
The bull charges straight to me, making a loud moo noise before it dashes. I roll right away to the side and uncap Riptide. The bull brakes and makes a sharp U-turn, charging straight back to me again. I jump over the Colchis Bull and slash the bull's back before landing perfectly on the ground. The bull brakes sharply, it turns back to me but it just stays there getting ready. The bull looks cautious; it's gathering its strength, readying itself for another leap.  
I raise my sword, watching carefully the bull's movement. The bull leaps, charging at me. It seems to be moving slower, and then I realized that it's moving at the same speed, I'm just seeing it in a slower motion. The bull charges, probably faster and more aggressive than before since I can hear Calypso screams out my name, but in my eyes the bull is charging slowly. Right when the bull is only a step away from me, I spin to the side and at the same time I swing my sword vertically upward from the ground. I decapitate the bull's head swiftly.  
The bull drops to the ground and gets dragged away from its own running force. The bull's body sprouts out oil and starts burning until finally it explodes.  
Just when I thought that it's over, I hear the sound of hooves coming out of the two giant bulls' head. Two Colchis Bulls come out from each of the two gates, making a total four Colchis Bulls.  
They don't waste any time. A bull charges wildly toward me.

_Strange..._ I mutter in my thought.

Usually when faced with something this big and heavy, there's always that slight nervous feeling or anger or annoyance or something, but right now I'm not feeling it. I am feeling completely calm and fearless. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and exhale. I open them again, and find the bull closing on me. I raise my blade quickly and swing it vertically downward, splitting the Colchis Bull that's charging toward me in half. The bull splits down right in the middle, and the split body brush past me. I stroll to the rest of the bulls, and the split one behind me explodes.  
Another bull readies itself. I leap to the bull, jumping high and then sinking my blade right on the back of the bull's head from above, the bull is now completely at my mercy. I use my sword as a lever and I pull Riptide against the bull's head. I forcefully take of its head, dimming the lights on its eyes in the process.  
Right after that, another bull is already almost next to me, charging. I quickstep to the side and swing my sword horizontally the moment he runs past me. My blade goes through the bull's bronze metal skin like cutting butter. Riptide reaches the middle part of the bull, and it cuts through the bull. The bull drops down, dragging itself through the dirt on the ground.  
The last Colchis Bull already opened its mouth when I notice him. Fire beams out of its mouth. I leap to the front side but not before throwing Riptide to the bull's mouth. My blade slices through the flame and strikes directly in its throat. The flame stops, and I'm already ready right next to the bull. I pull Riptide, and spin to the bull's side. I slashes the bull horizontally first, then I follow up with a vertical slash, tearing the bull's skin and insides apart. The bull falls side first on the ground.  
Colchis Bulls flood out of the two massive giant bulls' head. I watch the bulls coming out of the gateways one by one. There are dozens of them now, and more are still coming out. They look at me with those cold dead red eyes.  
I leap to them without thinking twice. I immerse myself in concentration and start swinging my sword right and left, up and down, to every possible direction; killing Colchis Bull at an alarming rate. My mind is thinking nothing but the thought of my next move. My eyes see nothing else but the movement of my enemies. My ears hear nothing but the creaking sound that the bulls make. My instincts take control of my whole body.  
I plunge Riptide deep into a bull's side. I drag my blade across the bull's body and I tear it apart. I look around quickly, readying myself for another bull, I realize then that I've destroyed all the bulls. Scrap metals, gears, bolts, decapitated heads, oils, basically the remaining of the bulls are now lying on the ground. The gears on the wall have stopped moving and the massive bulls' eyes that were bright red are now black. Smoke stops shooting out of the horns. I think that the bulls' production is now over.

_How long have I been fighting?_ I thought to myself.

I'm a little out of breath, but that seems to be it. I check my condition. I feel some small scratches on my body and my arms, some of the bulls probably grazed me. My clothes are a bit burned, and there's a slight burn mark on my right shoulder. I have oil here and there on my skin and clothes. I'm barely hurt from fighting that many Colchis Bulls. I can feel this new sensation of power... It feels incredible.  
I look at Calypso in the corner of the room, watching the entire time. She looks surprised, really surprised, probably just as much as I am. I smile to her and I cap Riptide. I approach her.

'Percy... I didn't know that you're this strong.' She says, still with a surprised expression on her face.

'Neither did I actually.' I look to the exit door. 'Come on, let's find whatever it is that the elder gods have in store for us.'


	44. Past, Present, Future, and Eternity

We enter through the door, and it leads us to another stairs, spiraling up as far as the eyes can see.

Calypso and I climb the steps slowly and carefully, we don't want anymore surprises from the elder gods. For all we know, the stairs can start crumbling down any minute now.

After a while of climbing the steps, we finally reach another iron door. I look back to Calypso, checking whether she's ready or not. Calypso nods, she looks calm, I guess the magic around this place is not as heavy as the one down there.

I open the door slowly while peeking inside, looking for any sign of trouble. It doesn't look like there's anything alarming or dangerous inside. I step into the room with Calypso right behind me.

The room is shaped like a really small dome, a private small dome. The walls are shiny, the yellow kind of shiny, they're made of solid gold. Actually everything here is made out of pure gold; the ceilings, the tiles, everything in here. The windows are like war bunker's windows, the rectangular kinda one that they use to shoot their enemies from within. There's a large golden clock strapped to a wall with no window, the left side from the entrance. A giant golden hourglass, exactly like the symbol on the letter that was given to us, strapped to the golden clock, mixing the two symbols up. I can hear water crashing into the outer walls of this place. I can actually smell the sea from here.

I step to the middle of the room, looking around, but finding no one here.

'That's weird…' I mutter.

'And what is "weird" about this, Perseus?' A voice calls out from behind me.

I turn around and see a tall old man in a white stripes dark blue suit. He actually looks like Zeus, with the white hair and long beard. Just that he looks way older than him, this man looks like he's in his seventies with wrinkles all over his face. Strangely enough his face looks really clean even with all those wrinkles. He's a bit hunchback, but who can blame him? The man is in his seventies. I look into his eyes, and instead of pupils, he has hourglass in each eye. He's carrying a golden rod that is around his height. At the rod's head is a golden hourglass, floating inside the golden circle that is connected to the road's head. It's like a perfect magnet, everywhere the rod goes, the hourglass stays perfectly still, floating inside the golden circle.

'Let me guess, you're a god.' I say.

He smiles, 'You've guessed well, Perseus. But I'm not just any ordinary god.' He circles me and Calypso, but I keep my eyes locked on him. 'My name is Chronos.'

I uncap Riptide almost immediately, 'Kronos!?'

The man sighs, 'Not Kronos, Ch-ro-nos. I am the personification of time, my dear Perseus. THE primordial god of time. The god of the past, the present, and the future.'

His image becomes blurry all of a sudden, his body seems to be fading slowly, and simultaneously , another thing or another person is taking its place.

I rub my eyes, making sure that what I'm seeing is not an illusion.

The other person grows more vivid as the old man fades. Now the old man is gone and is replaced by a young man in his early twenty, wearing the exact same thing and holding the exact same golden looks like a younger version of the old man just now. The man's eyes and hair are the same like the old man from before, and he gives off the same vibe. They're the same person, Chronos.

He stops walking. 'I must say, I do not like it very much when people keep mistaking me for that fool of a titan.' He looks a bit annoyed.

'Yeah? Well, next time you might want to pick out a name that doesn't sound a lot like another god.' I smirk, mockingly.

He smiles, he starts strolling again. 'We did not get to choose our name, Perseus… From the time we…' He pauses slightly, trying to pick out the perfect word. 'Start to exist… We have known our own name, without anyone there naming us. Not even we, the protogenoi or Chaos himself know why we knew our name from the moment we're here. We simply just knew…' He speaks with such a tone that it sounds like words of wisdom. It feels like stumbling into a truth that is much bigger than finding a treasure island. 'Besides, I'm much older than that fool of a titan, if anything, he stole my name.' He continues.

I roll my eyes, 'Yes, because that's what his parents thought when they named him. "Let's name this little Titan kid, Kronos! You know, because we don't like Chronos that much, so we're going to steal his name.". Get over it.'

Someone laughs, and it's not Calypso, me, or Chronos. Aeon appears out of nowhere from behind us, snickering. I would have never been able to imagine Aeon snickering since it doesn't match his regal face one bit.

'I told you, didn't I? This one is brave.' Aeon says to Chronos.

Calypso quickly hides behind me. She seems uneasy and nervous when she's around Aeon. She was like this when we first met him, and she's like this now as well.

Chronos chuckles, 'Indeed he is.' He turns back to me, 'Tell me, Perseus. Why don't you fear us?' His eyes, or at least the clocks, are filled with curiosity.

'Why did you call us here?' I ignore his question. 'Why are we here?'

Chronos smiles, 'Why the hostility, Perseus?'

'You were the one who send us the letter, weren't you? The mark on that letter, it was your mark, your symbol. So now just tell us why you called us here.'

'Why the rush, Perseus? If you wish for more ti—'

'Chronos.' Aeon interrupts him. 'I already offered him. He rejected it. So let's not waste more time, I think our friend here is in a hurry.' Aeon smiles warmly to me, yet I still find it to be disturbing.

I smile wryly, 'Listen to the Eternity god.'

Chronos sighs, disappointed. 'Very well then, Perseus. But before we move to business, I would like to ask a question.'

I raise my brow inquisitively.

'Tell me. What do you know about Matthew Frost..?' He smirks, full of meanings.

I stiffen, and then I growl. 'Where is this going?'

Chronos shrugs, 'I was just thinking, perhaps you would like to know more about your dearly departed brother. For example, perhaps about the day that he and his mother were swept away by the ocean. The day that dear dad abandoned his little boy.'

My eyes widen. Rage slowly fills up my body. I clench my fists and growl. 'What do you know about that!?'

'We know everything, my dear Perseus.' Chronos leans closer, 'Would you like me to show you, what really happened that day.'

I breathe heavily, I nod slowly.

Chronos smiles. He becomes blurry again, his form begins to change. Now a small young boy, around the age of five but still wearing the same suit appears. The golden rod is now shorter, it calibrates with Chronos' form. His hair is still white even as a child. He's only a third of my size, and yet his presence is still overwhelming.

'They say that to learn about the future, you must know about the past.' He says with the exact same voice he had when he was in his older form. 'If you want to know why the sons of Poseidon are hell bent on the destruction of Olympus, you must learn their past.' Chronos waves his rod and the air in front of me begins to form into a screen. The image is blurry and barely seeable, after a minute, it turns more vivid and clearer.

The screen shows a boy bashing an iron white door in an enclosed cabin with his spear, but the door doesn't budge. After a couple more bashing, he stares at the door. His spear dematerializes back to a golden pocket watch. He keeps it again in his pocket. He rushes back and curls up with a lady in a formal gown. The boy and the lady are wet, their clothes are torn off a bit; they look like a mess. The lady wraps her gentle arms around the young boy, they're terrified. The boy buries his face on the lady's chest. Water is seeping through the iron door, as it slowly builds up. The lady looks gently to the boy, smiling. She shushes him, trying to assure him. The boy looks up to her, revealing his face. It's Matthew, tears pooling up on his eyes, just as they pool up on the lady's eyes. The lady is her mother, that much is certain.

'Matthew…' The lady whispers 'Don't be afraid… You're going to be just fine.' Tears stream down from her eyes. Her mother has the same French accent Matthew has.

Matthew's face is full of fear. He knows exactly that his mother's words are hollow. The fear that I see on his face is not fear for himself, it's fear for his mom. He knows that the water won't hurt him, but it won't be so kind to his mom when it reaches her.

'Your papa's going to be here, the real one… He's not going to abandon us, don't you worry, Matthew.' His mother's words sound more like a prayer as the water now reaches their feet. She's not scared for herself. She's afraid of what would happen to Matthew if she leaves him alone, just like Matthew's fear, they both fear for each other.

I clench my fists tightly, feeling my anger rushes through my vein and into my head. Looking at Matthew's mother remind me of my own. She would have done the same, she would have assured me that nothing bad is going to happen. She's going to smile knowing that nothing bad is going to happen to me even if she knows that she's not going to make it out of there alive.

Matthew notices his mother's tone, he forces a smile. 'Yeah, mum… Papa's going to be here soon.' He's crying, he knows that his words are hollow but I sense that deep down he believes that Poseidon will be coming.

The light coming from the light bulb above them is now dimming, after a minute, the light fades completely. Now there's nothing but darkness in that room. Matthew's mother squeals slightly. I can hear her trembling breath.

The water lights up in blue light all of a sudden. Now light has return back to the room. The water gathers in one spot, it swirls up and forms a person figure.

It materializes starting from the feet, slowly going up to the body. A male figure, wearing a blue shining armor. The person's right hand is holding a trident. I gulp, in horror that it will be my father. I knew how this story ended, Matthew told me that his mother died… That Poseidon abandoned him.

Finally the face materializes, to my surprise and relief, it's not Poseidon. Pontus is standing there with his white hair and beard that makes him look like a Santa in a battle armor. Instead of eyes, he has rippling water in his eye sockets. Pontus radiates blue lights out of his armor.

Matthew looks surprised, a smile forms on his face slowly. For a moment there, the situation baffles me completely, until I finally put all the pieces together.

I glare at the screen, 'Matthew has never seen Poseidon before in his life… Has he..?'

Chronos chuckles, 'No… He has not. And he never met Pontus either… Or at least the god he thought was Pontus.'

'Papa…' Matthew mutters happily. Life and hope return back to his eyes.

I growl and shoot him a murderous glare, 'How low can you people stoop.'

'Not people, Perseus. Gods.' Chronos says it full of pride.

Matthew's mother looks at Pontus, she squints hard, trying to get a better look. I realize then why Matthew doesn't know that it's not Poseidon… Her mother can't see Pontus' face clearly. For all she knows, Poseidon is there, after all they both give off a similar feeling and Pontus appears after materializing from water.

'Matthew…' Pontus speaks in an echoing voice. His face is grim, with no hint of kindness. He nods apologetically.

Matthew's smile of relief and gratitude vanishes in an instant, 'What..?' He mutters.

'Goodbye…' Pontus melts back into water, a lot of water.

Now the entire cabin room is filled with the cold embrace of the sea. It reaches to their neck already. Dim blue lights shine up on the floor, bringing a small comfort since their vision has returned.

Matthew turns to his mother, he's terrified, tears of sadness roll down his cheeks.

'Mum…' He almost whispers. He's loss for words. He knows that this is it, the time that they both share is about to come to an end, for good.

Matthew's mother is shocked. She realizes what's going to happen, and yet she smiles full of compassion to her son. I know exactly what kind of a smile that is. A smile to show that she knows what's coming, a smile that is telling her son that she accepts her fate, a smile that is telling her son that as long as he is okay, she's satisfied.

His mother gently holds his face and wipes away his tears even though her cheeks are flooded with her own tears. 'It's alright, Matthew… It's alright…' She tries to hide her fear but her voice is shaky and her lips quiver.

The water level rises quickly, now it's up to their chin.

'_Je suis fiére de toi, mon fils_… I'm so proud of you, Matthew.' Tears stream down from her eyes endlessly. 'No matter what, you will always be my boy… And I will always watch over you.'

Matthew shook his head, still crying, 'No! Mum! Please… I can't go on without you..' He whimpers, pleading for her mother not to leave her.

'You are strong, Matthew. You will survive this… You will live a long and happy life… You will have a family one day. You will grow old… You will find a good woman… And then you will have children… And then your children will have children.' She smiles, and kisses Matthew's forehead. 'Live long and happily, my dearest son.'

The water has now filled the room completely. Bubbles of air are coming out of Matthew's mother.

His mother mouths to him. 'I love you always, Matthew.' No sound is coming out of her mouth, but her sentence is as clear as daylight.

Matthew's eyes widen, he screams in terror, 'Mum!' He looks up. 'Please! Anyone up there! Please save her!' His tears keep coming down from his eyes, and they're visible even though he's underwater. 'I'll do anything… Please…' He pleads desperately. His voice fades as despair overwhelms him.

The last air bubble pops out as Matthew's mother closes her eyes. She smiles peacefully, holding out every bit of pain. I know that her lungs and throat are filled with water. The pain she is experiencing must be unimaginable, even more so that she's hiding every last bit of it perfectly.

'NO!' Matthew screams his lungs out. 'MOTHER!'

I look away in anger, trying to calm my emotions down, trying to regain my composure. When I look at my hands, they're bleeding heavily. I must have clenched my fists too tight. I didn't even feel the pain in my hands.

I glare down at Chronos, 'So my father didn't abandon Matthew… It was Pontus who showed up that day Matthew was trapped in that cabin.'

Chronos smirks. 'I wouldn't exactly say that.' He snaps his fingers and another screen appear next to the screen from before. 'Nothing happened in sea without Poseidon knowing, remember? This happened when poor dear Matthew was trapped.'

The image is blurry at first, but it clears up in a minute. The screen shows me an image that rattles my bones with rage.

Poseidon is there, sitting with a wide smile on his face at the dinner table. He's having a feast with Triton and Amphitrite. They all look so happy and cheerful, which only serves to anger me more.

Poseidon did nothing when Matthew pleaded the gods for his mother's life. There's not even the slightest hint of concern or anything on Poseidon's face.

Chronos takes a step closer to me, his childish smile looks innocent but with his voice, it becomes creepy. 'Would you like to see the rest of what happened?' He gestures to the middle screen, the one where Matthew was on.

I look back to the screen. The image appears again, showing Matthew floating there, half-dead. He's still holding his mother's hand tightly, not letting go even though his mother has already started decaying. The dim blue lights on the floor finally vanish completely. There's nothing but darkness. No sound, no movement, nothing at all.

_Crack._ A sudden noise. _Crack._ Again, it appears. Then followed up by a loud sound of an explosion, and a door being bashed down. Something glows blue, it lights up the entire room in a second. Willy is there, floating in the water. His right hand is holding a bronze blade while his left hand is holding some sort of a stick that shoots out bright blue light, it looks a lot like a glow stick, a magical one probably.

Matthew's eyes turn to Willy, but there's nothing in his eyes. No gratitude, no hope, no life. His face shows nothing but weariness and despair. Willy sheathes his blade, he swims to Matthew. He grabs Matthew's arms and starts dragging him out of there. Matthew's eyes return to his mother, he is still holding his dead mother tightly.

Willy pulls Matthew closer, 'Brother. Let go.' He pleads to Matthew. His eyes are filled with sadness, he feels sorry for Matthew.

Matthew stays silent, he keeps holding his mother's hand.

Willy squeezes tighter, he leans closer, 'Brother… Let go… She's at peace.'

Matthew slowly looks to Willy. Tears begin dropping again from his eyes. He looks back to his mother, he whispers to her, 'Adieu… Mére… Je t'aime tant.' Matthew lets go of his mother's hand.

Willy drags Matthew out of that room, but not before glancing back at the corpse of Matthew's mother. He takes out a small bronze ball. He clicks it and leaves it at the room. The ball releases greek fire, the fire burns the room, slowly, making its way to the corpse of Matthew's mother. Willy and Matthew leave the room before they can see how Matthew's mother burns.

Willy swims away while still dragging Matthew, they're making their way out of the ship. After they get out of the ship, they start making their way to the surface. Slowly, trying to get out of the cold cruel embrace of the ocean. They surface out of the sea, where there's already a luxurious white boat waiting for them.

From aboard the ship, Marcus is standing there, ready for them. He throws them both a rope. Willy grabs the rope while still carrying Matthew. Marcus pulls the rope, dragging both Willy and Matthew into the ship.

Willy gets up quickly, but Matthew just lies there with nothing but empty eyes and blank face. He stares at the sky, perhaps his mind is as blank as his face.

'Are you okay?' Marcus asks Willy.

'I'm fine, go check on him.' Willy gestures to Matthew.

Marcus kneels next to Matthew, he checks Matthew's condition. Marcus takes out a square of ambrosia from his pocket, he tries to feed Matthew. 'Here, eat this. You need it.'

Matthew stays silent for a minute, he almost whispers, 'Why..? I don't have a reason to live… My family sunk alongside that ship… My real father abandoned me… For what reason should I live..?'

Silent fills the air. Marcus doesn't know how to answer Matthew's question. He's figuring out the right words, but it seems to be difficult.

'For vengeance.' Willy answers. He's sitting down.

'Vengeance..?' Matthew repeats, but as a question.

Willy nods, 'Vengeance… Live to avenge your family, to avenge your mother. Live so you can bring Olympus down crumbling. To bring justice back, to topple the gods from their almighty thrones. Live so you can prevent anyone else from suffering because of the selfishness of the gods.'

Life slowly returns back to Matthew's eyes. He spins and gets up to his hands and knees. He faces Willy, 'To bring down the gods..?'

Willy gets up, 'Poseidon, your father… Our father… Is no difference from the other gods… They need to be reminded that we are not their playthings.' Willy takes a step closer, 'My brother.' He says to Matthew, 'We are also children of Poseidon, from a different time than you, but just like you, we have experienced suffering. We want revenge!'

Rage builds up in Matthew's eyes and face, 'Can it be done..? Can we destroy the gods..?'

Willy offers his hand to Matthew. Matthew stares at Willy's hand, trying to decide something. He heaves out one last doubtful breath. His eyes are filled with resolve. Matthew takes Willy's hand and Willy pulls him up.

'Matthew Frost.' Matthew introduces himself.

'William Knight.' Willy returns. 'Welcome, brother, to our cause.'

The image blurs and fades out. The screens disappear from sight. I don't need to see any more, I already know what follows next.

'Do you understand the past now, Perseus?' Chronos asks me.

I shoot a murderous glare at him, 'I understand that you all are as insane as you are twisted.'

Aeon laughs, 'Don't be like that, Perseus. Now how about we just shake hands and let all of this go. We gods, all after are very civilized.'

Calypso squeals loudly when Aeon reaches out his hands for us. She grabs the tip of my sleeve. Her face whitens, her lips quiver. My eyes widen when I see Calypso's trembling expression.

Aeon smirks, 'My dear sweet Calypso… Don't tell me that you're afraid of me because of what I did last time… What do the mortals usually say..?' His smile grows wider and wickeder. 'Ah, yes… Water under the bridge.'

I roar, 'What did you do to her!?' I scream to Aeon.

Aeon spreads his arms, 'I've told you! I am the personification of Eternity!' He yells it out happily. 'Immortality is based on me, so I took hers away!' Aeon screams it out loud in ecstasy. 'And it felt wonderful… Hearing her scream and squirm in pain as I force it out of her.'

Calypso winces, tears flowing out of her eyes. She squeezes my shirt harder.

Aeon holds his hand out, 'Now come, my dear sweet Calypso. I have more plans for you.'

I uncap Riptide, and I leap without hesitation to Aeon. I wave my sword, full of rage and hatred.

Aeon grins. A double bladed celestial bronze spear materializes in his hand, a blade at each end of the bronze stick. He deflects my attack and manages to knock me back with his swing.

'You wish to challenge me?' He smiles full of amusement. 'I am a god! An elder god for that matter!'

'I've fought much worse.' I crouch in an attack position.

Aeon shook his head, 'No, you have not.'

I fling myself back to Aeon. I stop caring about what I'm fighting against, I had enough of the gods. I don't care if I get myself blasted to dust after this, but for the moment, I'm going to make him bleed and experience pain.

Aeon raises his spear and aims at me. I quickstep to the side to dodge his attack. He smashes the ground with his attack. Gods know what would have happened if I had try to block it. Aeon quickly follows up with a horizontal swing, it makes a sharp cutting noise as it passes through the air. I somersault back, dodging his swing and putting a distance between us. I jump up high to the air, I plunge down back to Aeon with my sword pointing downward. Aeon steps back and misses my blade. He swings his spear once more. I duck down, evading the tip of his blade at a split second. I use my leg and sweep the floor where he stands. He reacts lightning-fast and jumps up. As he lands, I stand back up. He swipes his spear continuously and I keep dodging them by a hair. Each attack that he does would slice me up like butter. I know that from just hearing the loud sharp cutting noise that his spear is making. But I can see his attack clearly, and I keep evading them.

Concentration floods my mind, and power fills my body. Every air that I inhale and exhale syncs with my movement. Exhale when attacking and inhale when I have the chance for a split second rest.

He swings his spear again, it's coming to my left side. I swing my sword in sync with his movement and I deflect his attack. I follow up with a spinning jump kick, it connects with his chest. 'This is for Matthew and his mother!' He stumbles back groaning.

Aeon spins and swings his blade once more, this time it's coming to my right. I swing my sword simultaneously to his movement, and I deflect his blade once more. I follow up with a knee to his gut and continue with an uppercut to the face. 'That's for Calypso!'

_Ichor_ flows out of his nose, Aeon groans in pain. His calm face starts to break and is being replaced by a raging face.

'Oh my…' Chronos mutters. There's a wide wicked smile on his face.

I leap to him, not wanting to give him any time to rest. Aeon is already ready though, he uses both hands to hold his spear. He swings vertically, dropping down his blade like raining down the wrath of a god upon me. I sway to the side. The blade misses me but it shatters the ground when it hits. I would have been pulverized if I had taken the attack. I'm unfazed though by the loud cracking noise, the shockwave, and everything that his attack causes. I push forward and reach right in front of his body.

I plunge my blade deep into his solar plexus and I shove it through his body. I roar. 'AND THIS IS FOR ME!'

Aeon's eyes widen and his jaws drop as he coughs out _Ichor_ from his mouth. Chronos looks as surprised as Aeon is.

The rage leaves my body slowly. I breathe heavily as my head begins to cool down. My composure returns back to me. Now I remember that the person I just shoved my blade into is an all-powerful primordial god… He's probably going to blast me to dusts now.

Chronos's face bursts in happiness, he's ecstatic. He starts clapping loudly. 'Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!'

Aeon's eyes light up. His body starts to glow. This is it. Strangely enough, I don't care anymore. I feel satisfied, watching him in pain. Somehow, I can't help but smile.

Aeon grows brighter, when I blink, Chronos is already in front of Aeon. He pushes Aeon back, sliding him out of my blade in his solar plexus. My blade is colored with golden blood, Aeon's blood.

He holds Aeon's shoulder and pushes him down. 'Easy there, Aeon… I see Eternity doesn't help you with your temper.' Chronos smirks.

Aeon's body stops glowing. He smiles, 'You're right… Forgive me for that.' Aeon turns to me, 'And forgive me for almost vaporizing you, Mr. Jackson.'

'Percy…' Calypso whispers. I almost forgot that she's here all along. I nod to her, assuring her that everything is going to be okay. She stands behind me, trying to hide herself from the sight of the primordial gods.

I snort to Aeon, 'I don't need your apology. I just need you to never lay your hands on my friends ever again.'

Chronos smirks, 'It feels good, does it not..?' He pauses slightly, 'The power… Coursing through your vein just like your blood. You exceed even our highest expectation, Perseus.'

My eyes widen with surprised. I glare and growl. 'Did you do something to me..?'

Chronos strolls, circling me. 'Me? I didn't do anything, Perseus. It was you, you did it to yourself.'

I shook my head lightly, not understanding what he meant.

'He does not understand.' Aeon takes a step closer.

'Let me be clearer then… All of the power you are feeling right now? It entered you the moment you sunk your blade in Matthew's chest.' He smirks, twisted and evil. 'When he dies, his life force is shared among the remaining sons of Poseidon. It makes you all faster, stronger, more durable. It's nice is it not?'

I look at my hands, feeling the power in my body. I have been feeling powerful lately, more powerful than ever… And it's all because of Matthew's death..? The thought angers me.

Chronos shrugs, 'Of course that's not the only reason. All the battles that you have been through..? It serves for you to master these newly power, for you to enhance your combat ability, for your ability to manifest. It worked like a charm; I must say that I am surprised to see to see you grow this strong that fast.'

I shout out, 'Enough! Just tell me why I am here!'

Aeon stands beside Chronos, 'He grows weary… I think we have done enough, don't you think, Chronos?'

Chronos laughs, 'Yes, I think we have.' He looks to me. 'We are here to show you what you are up against, Perseus. Believe it or not, we are here to help you.' Chronos shifts back to his young adult form.

'Show me what!?' I growl louder.

Chronos snaps his fingers, another screen appears right above them. 'This.' He says proudly. 'The greatest weapon the primordial gods can produce.'

The image becomes clearer. But the more that I can see, the more shocked I've become. Fear grows little by little looking at the creature in the screen.

'What in Hades' name is that!?' I shout out.

* * *

**Dum Dum Dum! Find out what it is in the next chapter!**

**To be continued...**

**Sorry, I feel the need to be dramatic right now.**


	45. A Guidance and Lesson From Time

There it is on the screen, a creature that gives me a hard time to even begin describing it. The short version would be, it's a humongous serpent. It's so massive and big, it's at least twice the size of a drakon. It slithers, just like a normal snake, and it moves very quick and nimble. The serpent has a black-pale green scales, although the green scales look like they have been sprayed randomly with black paint, making the serpent looks entirely black with just some green dots. The serpent has a yellow-ish crown right around its neck.

'What is that..?' I stare at it still in disbelief.

Chronos smiles twistedly and evilly. 'Beautiful, is it not?'

I turn my attention back to Chronos. 'Answer me you sick immortal.' I growl to him.

Chronos puts his hands in the air. 'Now now, there's no need for such a tone. We would be happy to tell you.' Chronos looks to the screen, 'That is Ophion, the primordial serpent. Once upon a time, he ruled this world before overthrown by Kronos and Rhea… A real embarrassment indeed, to have a primordial beaten by a titan. Now this is his punishment.'

'Punishment?' I repeat. Even though that particular word is directed to the serpent, it feels more that we are the ones who are going to suffer.

'Yes, punishment. Now he serves the sons of Poseidon, as an almighty weapon.' Chronos smirks, 'Once a powerful god, now a powerful beast… Can you imagine, Perseus? The power the serpent holds.' Chronos laughs evilly. 'Imagine what would happen if we set him loose upon the camp? The destruction and chaos he would create.'

The image changes, now to thousands of monsters standing ready in armor. From earth spawns, to telekhines, and Cyclops.

'Of course, it would only be a war if each side has an army.' Chronos says happily.

'You… Maniac…' I growl again, ready to lunge to him.

Aeon stands between us both, like he can ready my thoughts. 'Please don't, Mr. Jackson… I fear that if you strike again, I will not be able to resist slaying you.'

I somehow laugh in amusement, 'Good… I thought you were holding back with that kind of poor skill.' I say with a challenging tone.

Aeon looks offended and about to retaliate, but Chronos stops him. 'Please, Perseus, no more hostility. We are here to help you, that is the one and only truth right now.'

Chronos creates another screen in the air. It shows a boy wearing a _shitagi_ facing an altar. The altar holds candles, and a statue sitting down on its legs dressed in a set of red samurai armor. The boy holds his right fist against the palm of his left hand, as if some sort of a pray to the statue.

Right behind the altar is a window that shows a green pretty garden right in front of the room. The floor is from _tatami_ mats, Japanese straw and wooden mats.

The boy turns around, revealing him to be Yukimura. Two nymphs are now readying him for battle. They take off the red cuirass from the statue, and straps it on Yukimura's chest and back, connecting it. Then they proceed to the studded red arm guards from the statue and put it on Yukimura's arms. After that the red shin guards. The nymphs are not putting the helmet, the gauntlets, and a couple of other things though. Maybe to improve his mobility.

Marcus stands at the side of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while he watches the nymphs preparing Yukimura.

'Why are you showing me this?' I ask Chronos.

Aeon smirks, 'He does not understand.'

Chronos points to the screen, 'This… Is the boy who is going to lead Ophion, and an army against Camp Half Blood. Yukimura Snow, the honorable.' Chronos announces, 'He will be your opponent this time. Are you ready, Perseus?'

I clench my fists, 'What makes you think that I will fight another one of my brothers?'

'It's simple really… Yukimura is readying himself as we speak, he is to march and soon will find himself against the campers. You can either help them or let Yukimura destroys your friends, which ultimately will end with the destruction of Olympus. It falls for you to decide.' Chronos shrugs, 'I prefer you choose to fight, Perseus… Having such a short end to so much fun, it is but a waste.'

Aeon sighs, 'Chronos… You taunt the boy too much, yet I will be the one who has to repel him if he fights again.'

Chronos chuckles, 'My apologies, Aeon… I tend to get a little bit overboard.' He turns back to me, 'Now then, Perseus. Will you decide?'

I shoot a murderous glare at both of them, but by this point now I've realized that even if I miraculously strike both of them down, it won't do me much good. I take a deep breath, trying to swallow my wrath and hatred.

'Send us back to the camp.' I say.

Chronos shifts back to his child form, 'No no no, Perseus. The battle will not take place in the camp. We've decided that… We need a grander stage.'

I wince slightly, taking a step forward almost immediately, 'What are you plan—'

Chronos waves me off, 'There will be time for questions later. For now, how about a glimpse of Yukimura's past?' Chronos chuckles, 'Like I've said before, you need to know the past before you know the future. You need to learn the sad tale of Yukimura Snow before you can defeat him.'

The image of Yukimura getting ready blurs out, it changes to another image. An image of a yellow field appears, filled with tall yellow plants that look like wheat. A small green grasshopper is hopping around, before finally resting its legs on a leaf of a plant.

A small young boy around the age of seven suddenly hops, entering the screen, trying to catch the grasshopper. The boy smiles and opens his palms, only to discover that the grasshopper has fled from his grasp. The boy is wearing a white _kimono_, a Japanese robe.

Annabeth was hooked by Japanese culture once that I've ended up learning quite some about it… The horror she put me through by making me read so many books. I would have smiled at the memory if the situation right now had been different.

The boy searches his surrounding, he finds the grasshopper again and chases after it while the grasshopper keeps hopping away from him everytime the boy comes closer.

'Yukimura…' I mutter, recognizing his face. He looks a bit different, but after a closer look, it becomes obvious.

Yukimura decides to use another strategy, a sneak attack. He carefully approaches the grasshopper. When in range, he hops and attempts to catch the grasshopper, but the grasshopper flees again right before Yukimura arrives. Though just as Yukimura lands, someone else lands next to him, attempting to catch the grasshopper as well. A young girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, around Yukimura's age maybe just a little bit older, wearing a yellow kimono embroidered with red flowers.

Both Yukimura and the girl jump back in surprise and at the same time. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds, examining the person standing right in front of them, before finally smiling to each other.

They don't say anything, and turn their attention back to the fleeing grasshopper. They chase after the grasshopper happily. They roll around, hop around, run around. Soon enough, they're covered in dusts and leaves.

Finally Yukimura and the girl hop again at the same time, landing near the grasshopper trying to catch it. The grasshopper hops into the plants, disappearing from sight. The little girl's eyes are teary; she frowns, looking really sad.

Yukimura looks troubled. He gets an idea and plucks the leaves and stems off of the plants. He does something with it quickly, and then he approaches the little girl. The little girl looks to him with a sad face. Yukimura extends his hand, hiding something in it. He opens his palm and there it is sitting on his hand, a yellow grasshopper made out of leaves and stems.

The little girl's face brightens up as she receives the grasshopper. She smiles to it. She kisses Yukimura's cheek, and runs out of there, disappearing.

Yukimura freezes, he slowly reaches for his cheek and rubs it while smiling.

The image blurs out, changing to another scene. Now, scenery of a castle appears, an eastern style castle with pink flower petals gliding around in the soft wind. A line up of mountains can be seen far away behind the castle. A forest of pink petal trees is right next to the rice field with river flowing nearby, as clear as daylight. The farmers in front of the castle are planting rice while the soldiers in samurai armor are patrolling. It then focuses on one hallway of the castle.

Yukimura, now around the age of thirteen is walking, wearing a black _kimono_. He walks from the sideways to the garden of the castle.

The garden is beautiful filled with freshly cut green grasses and beautifully trimmed bushes with flowers that decorate the garden the way fireworks decorate the sky. There's a small pond by the side of the garden, even the fishes there are as colorful as the flowers.

Yukimura smiles at the scenery, but I don't think he's smiling at the garden. A girl in pink _kimono_ embroidered with red flower petals is standing there holding a small old style watering can. She looks beautiful under the rays of the sun, more importantly, she looks like the older version of the girl I saw previously, the one who was trying to catch the grasshopper with Yukimura.

The girl looks to Yukimura and smiles gently to him. He rushes to her and they start talking.

The scene changes again to what it appears to be a room inside the castle with a view of the garden. Yukimura is sitting there on his legs with a man that can passes up as his father next to him, sitting in the same position, in fact I think that is his father.

Across from them are the young girl from before and her father, sitting in the same position. The two older men are conversing with each other while Yukimura and the girl are smiling and making googly eyes to each other.

The scene changes again, now it shows both Yukimura and the girl walking side by side over a bridge with a lake under. They look happy and their hand slowly intertwines.

The image changes to one with both Yukimura and the girl under the moonlight. They're older now. Yukimura looks exactly like he looked the last time I saw him, while the girl has matured and grown even prettier. She looks older than me, around Marcus' age. The back of her hair is hold up high by a golden hairpin. Her eyes are brown with a hint of grey, they look somehow incredibly enchanting. Her fair white skin looks like it's going to shine under the moonlight, beautifully reflecting the moonlight. She looks naturally beautiful, like Calypso's kind of natural beauty.

They both stare deeply into each other's eyes and kiss. I can't help but smile a bit, looking at the scene. Yukimura looks really happy in there; opposed to how grim he looked when he was fighting me.

It shifts again, this time showing the young girl having an argument with someone in an old style western military outfit with shades. Is that..?

'Ares..?' I mutter his name in confusion.

There it is Ares with the young girl. He seems to be persisting about something, he keeps grabbing the girl's arm but the girl keeps pushing him away. Now Ares is getting really forceful but the girl keeps resisting even further.

Thunder roars suddenly, it hits the ground without notice and Zeus appears from the smoke. He walks with his chest holds up high and his beard and eyes crackling with electricity. For a moment there, I feel a bit relieved because somehow I get a feeling that Zeus is going to save the girl. Ares looks uneasy by Zeus' presence in there. Zeus doesn't look happy one bit. He glares at Ares, and Ares retreats in a flash of light. Everything is fine for one moment and it goes down the drain in the next.

The girl's face shows nothing but contempt at the presence of the king of the gods. Zeus approaches the girl with a smile. He starts saying something and takes the girl's hand gently. The girl takes her hand back, but Zeus grows more forceful and grabs the girl's arms. The girl shows nothing but disgust, with one swift move, she slaps the king of the gods and retreats from sight.

'What happened back then..?' I ask.

'The girl's name was Yuki, one that was destined to marry Yukimura… A beautiful flower, was she not..?' Chronos chuckles, 'The gods fancied her, Ares and Zeus did at the very least… They both wanted her, but the beautiful creature loved no one but Yukimura.'

The image changes once more. But now what's taking place in the screen is completely different scenery. The castle is burning, fire is soaring up high and brightly from the castle as if trying to match the lights of the moon. Flames are blazing through the field as soldiers wage battle around the castle. Burnt corpses decorate the field now, replacing the beautiful flowers in the garden and the rice in the field. Blood flows down the river, corrupting the fresh water.

'So the Olympians did what they are best at… They punished her.' Chronos laughs, 'Ares was graciously enough to gave his blessing to the invaders and blessed the defenders with nothing but his hatred… They stood no chance. As for Zeus…' Lightning strikes the castle once, destroying a part of it. 'Let's just say that he found a way to unbalance the scale even further.'

The screen focuses up on Yukimura, running across the wooden hallway of the lower ground of the castle while holding Yuki's hand with no intention to let go. They run to the garden where they find both their fathers lying down there, dead.

Yuki flinches, she looks like she's going to throw up. Yuki hides behind Yukimura, the corpse of her loved one is too much for her to handle. Yukimura gulps, swallowing his fear. He drags Yuki out of there and leads her to the forest. Unfortunately for them, a lightning hits the trees and blocking the way out of there and blasting Yukimura away. Yuki rushes to the injured Yukimura as hope slowly leaves their eyes, and despair slowly enters.

The opposing soldiers find them right by the river. Yukimura stands up wobbly and tries to fight them off, knocking them down one by one but there are too many of them and all of them are blessed by Ares, not to mention he is injured from the lightning strike just now. Eventually enough, he grows tired and the enemy soldiers waste no time to seize both Yukimura and Yuki.

Soldiers grab Yukimura, holding him back as he tries to struggle free but too weak to do so. He screams desperately as he watches Yuki being hold back by a couple soldiers.

They don't seem to have any intention to show mercy as one _samurai_ walks up to Yuki with his blade holds up high. Yukimura keeps screaming out his lungs, his eyes are teary, knowing of what comes next.

Yuki looks terrified, but when she takes a glimpse of how scared Yukimura is, she does nothing but smiles gently to her loved one. Her tears are dropping down like drops of snow, so pure and so innocent.

'Eternal beauty…' Aeon mutters, his eyes are taken away completely by Yuki. 'Nothing can ever stain that image and no one can ever forget it. Exceeding even the beauty of the immortals… Incredible, is it not so, Mr. Jackson?'

Yukimura freezes, his expression turns into one painful look as his tears stream down from his eyes. I can see it in Yukimura's face, realizing how helpless he is right now.

Yuki says something to Yukimura, her final words, and then the executioner swings his sword.

I flinch and turn away. I don't have to see what happens next… I know it all too well.

Chronos waves his scepter, dissolving the screens to mists. 'Now that you know his tale, what will you do, Perseus..? Will you still fight for Olympus, or will you let it fall to crumbles?' Chronos chuckles, 'But then your friends will have to die first in order for Olympus to crumbles.'

I take a long pause, slowly enough beginning to understand the reasons behind the retaliation of the sons of Poseidon. Yet… I can't let them hurt my friends.

'Where is the battle going to take place?' I ask Chronos.

Chronos smiles, satisfied with my answer. 'The highest seat of power in the mortal world, the white house.'

I look back to Calypso, 'Are you ready to go?'

Calypso nods, 'I am.'

I turn back to Chronos, 'Take us there then.'

Chronos smiles, 'Not quite just yet I'm afraid. We've told you that we are going to help you, Perseus, but we are not done helping you just yet.' Chronos looks to Aeon, 'Aeon, if you may.'

Aeon's weapon forms again in his hand.

'Accept this one gift from us, Perseus, we are going to bestow upon you something that no ordinary person can ever hope to receive.' Chronos smiles.

I click Riptide, bringing my blade back to my grasp. 'Yeah? Is it another chance to kick a primordial god's butt?'

Aeon smirks, 'We are going to grant you power.' Aeon leaps as soon as he finishes his sentence.

* * *

**I just would like to use this opportunity to thank every one of my reader, even though there might not be a lot, but I still love you guys a lot!**

**Thanks for all the supports that I have been getting, and I'm terribly sorry that I disappeared from time to time, it will not happen again...**

**We're already halfway through, if not more. I am exceptionally grateful to all of you guys, and remember, you guys are awesome!**


	46. Opening Speech

'This is really comfortable.' Thalia says, sitting in the president's chair with her legs resting on the president's work table.

'I know, right? I mean being the president rocks. I mean try to feel this carpet! It's so fluffy and comfortable…' I say while I lay down on the carpeted floor of the Oval office, rubbing the carpet for comfort. 'I can just fall asleep right here right now.' I actually can. This carpet must have cost a fortune, they really spared no expense when you're the president.

The Oval office is round, I guess that's where they get the name Oval office, because it's round-ish. The office looks simpler than what I've expected of the Oval office. Just your ordinary grand office with tables, sofas, pictures, and chairs. The difference is, everything here is expensive, even the most normal plain looking chair. Thalia and I discovered a lot of hidden buttons too, but we've been instructed not to press or touch anything suspicious or interesting. Which have been really hard to resist since I really want to know what those hidden buttons do. Though worst case scenario, it's a secret button that will launch a nuclear attack, which helps me a lot to resist of punching the button.

Thalia lets out a small moan, 'I don't ever want to leave this chair…'

I moan as well, 'I want to take this carpet and put it in the Morpheus' cabin… Then it'll be the ultimate nap cabin…'

Thalia chuckles slightly, 'Do you think they'll let us keep it after this is all over?'

I stare at the ceiling, 'Yeah… They should, I mean if we succeed, we'll be saving the white house right? The least that they can do is reward us with these stuffs.'

Thalia stays silent for a minute, 'Can we do it?' She lowers her voice.

I take another minute to answer her, 'Do what?'

'You know what I'm talking about.'

I smile faintly, 'You mean stay alive? Why are you asking me, you're the one that has done this before. How should I know anything about it?'

Thalia rolls her eyes, 'Some guy you are.'

'It's already the modern age. Women and men have the same rights you know.'

Thalia snorts, 'My bad then, I forgot that you're a girl.'

'That's not nice. I saved our lives.'

Thalia springs off the chair, 'We could have escaped sooner! You waited until the last minute before opening that cage!'

I sit up. 'You know, a simple thank you would have been nice! I did discover the secret passage too that ultimately saved our lives twice!'

Thalia groans, 'You're never going to let that pass, are you? I mean you saved my life twice, big deal. I'm sure that I'm going to save yours a dozen of times when the time comes.'

I look to her with hopeful eyes, 'So you think we're going to make it through, right?'

Thalia stiffens, she pauses. 'Yeah… We sure are, I mean this happened once already… I know for a certain fact that we're going to make it through this time.'

'Why did you ask me then?'

'Because…' She heaves out a sigh. 'It's just, I can't believe Chiron named me commander of all people…'

I cross my legs, I lean forward. 'And you're afraid that you can't do it… You're afraid that you're going to fail.'

Thalia looks upset, but she tries to hide it. 'Yes… I'm afraid of that.' Thalia turns to the three windows right behind the president's chair. 'I'm not smart like Annabeth… And I'm not charismatic like Percy… How am I supposed to lead all of these people?'

I can see Thalia's fear. Her legs are trembling slightly even though she puts up a brave front.

'You're strong, that's for one. I mean I don't think I know a girl stronger than you.'

Thalia laughs slightly, 'That's your idea of a pep talk? Dude, you suck.'

I get up and rub the back of my head. 'Yeah, well I was never good in cheering people up, or giving a long speech.'

'I can vouch for that.' She says to me.

I smile and I approach her. 'Look, bottom line is, I know you can do this.'

She snorts, 'Yeah, right.'

'I mean it.' I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 'You are without a doubt, the bravest girl that I have ever met in my life, maybe the bravest one that I will ever know my whole life.' She looks back slightly to me. 'You're Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of Artemis… So what if you're not as smart as Annabeth? Or as charismatic as Percy? You're strong, Thalia, so strong that you can beat Percy with one hand tied behind your back. You lead the hunters against both Percy AND Annabeth!' I pause and shrug, 'Granted that you lost but I mean can you blame yourself? Yes, you probably can since you took no account of—'

Thalia glares at me, 'Get to the point.'

'Right, what I'm trying to say is that if there is anyone in this world that can lead those campers out there, it would be you. There is no one else that is more qualified than you.' I smile to her.

Her eyes widen with surprise. She smiles gently to me, 'I thought you're bad with speeches. What gives, Grey?'

I give her a reassuring smile, 'Not if it's true.' I shrug, 'Besides, I'm your lieutenant. If you feel like you can't do it on your own, you'll always have me around to help you. And also, who needs Annabeth? We have Malcolm with us.'

She punches my shoulder lightly, 'Smartass.' She pauses and gives me a murderous look, 'If you ever tell anyone what we've just talked about, I will kill you.'

I smile nervously, knowing that she's serious. 'You got it.'

'You know. I questioned how you're named my lieutenant.' She says.

I laugh, 'You and me both.'

'I don't anymore.' She says half-hesitantly. I blush slightly, she looks really pretty when she gets all serious like that. She takes a deep breath and exhales, 'You feel okay?'

'Me? I have a hundred and fifty people out there to lead against an army. They basically just told us that the fate of Olympus and the world rest with us. So yeah, I'm really peachy.'

She laughs nervously, 'Ready to give a long pep talk to our friends?'

'That's all you, we've already established that I'm bad with speeches.'

She crosses her arms, she pouts, 'I thought you're going to be around when I need you?'

I grin, 'I am. Doesn't mean that I'm going to help you give a speech. Unless you're willing to give me a kiss.'

Thalia groans, 'You're lucky that I need you now, Grey. Otherwise I would just feed you to my dogs.'

I laugh, 'I'm glad you can tell jokes now.'

She grabs my collar, pulls me close and kisses my cheek. She walks past me out of the Oval office.

'You know what? I might just feed you to the dogs when this is all over.' She smirks back playfully to me. 'To protect my secrets.' She leaves the room.

I smile happily from that kiss, 'Yeah yeah, that was another joke right?' She's already gone. 'Uhm… Thalia? That was a joke… Right?'

I follow her straight out of the white house and into the north lawn. The hunters and the demigods are already gathering in front of the white house, a hundred and fifty soldiers, ready at Thalia's command. They're all chattering loudly, some look worried, others look scared.

A podium is already prepared. Thalia climbs up the podium; she has a strong confident firm look on her face. Her eyes are filled with resolves. I stand behind the podium, behind her. Malcolm walks up to me and stands beside me, being the second lieutenant and all.

'My fellow campers! Hunters, and demigods!' She addresses the crowd.

The crowd stops chattering, and turns their attention to Thalia.

'We found ourselves yet once again in face of an army of monsters!' Thalia pauses slightly. 'I know that some of you are scared. Some of you still remember the last war, what it did to us… To the people we cared about and are no longer here.' She walks around the podium. 'I am scared too… I still remember what the last war did, the casualties that we had to bear…' She looks to the demigods, 'But we are demigods!' She turns to the hunters. 'We are hunters!' She looks to all of them now. 'We are monsters' worst nightmare! So are we going to just let them march down here and look down on us!?'

The crowd shouts out, 'No!'

'No, of course not!' Thalia shouts out. 'The primordial gods think that we're helpless without Percy and Annabeth. They think that we're weak, just because two heroes are missing! But we know that is not to be the case. They want to crush us, and they think that we're going down without a fight! Are we just going to take that!? Are we going to let these snob immortals define us as weak and helpless!? Are we going to let them take our home!? We are strong! Stronger than they think we are. I'd rather fight beside you than any army of thousands! Let no men forget how menacing we are. We are lions!'

I nod in agreement before realizing something, 'Wait, that's from—'

The crowd looks resolved, they look confident. They cheer in agreement from Thalia's speech.

'Fight and you may die… Run, and you'll live… At least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take… OUR FREEDOM!'

Malcolm nudges me, he whispers, 'Dude… Isn't that the speech from—'

I sigh, 'Yes it is…'

The crowd roars out a cheer, they raise their weapons with hardened face and resolved eyes.

I roll my eyes, 'It seems to do the trick but seriously..? These people don't watch a lot of TV, do they?'

'For Olympus!' Thalia raises his blade, she cheers out and the crowd follows.

The crowd disperses; they're going straight to prepare for the upcoming war. Thalia walks up to me and Malcolm.

'How did I do?' She looks nervous now. She really hid it well during the speech.

Malcolm and I look to each other before giving her a thumb up. 'You did awesome.' I say.

'Yeah, totally. They were motivated.' Malcolm agrees.

Thalia smiles in relief, 'Thanks… Now let's kick some monster's butts, shall we?'

I smile in agreement. 'Yeah, let's go.'

'Thalia!' A couple of hunters approach us.

'Sisters.' Thalia greets them. 'What is it?'

One of them hands her a letter, 'A boy handed this to us earlier. He said that it is of great importance and that we must hand this to you as soon as possible.'

Thalia rips off the letter quickly, she reads the content.

'What does it say?' Malcolm asks.

Thalia looks a little bit puzzled, 'It's a name… At least I think it is.'

I look at the content and read it. 'Sally's Diner?' I mutter the name. 'What does that mean?'

'I think it's a name of a place.' Thalia turns to the hunters. 'Who handed this?'

The one handed the letter shook her head, 'We don't know who he is. But… he told us is that he is a son of Poseidon, yet he looked nothing like Percy Jackson.'

The news shocked both Thalia and I. We've encountered one already and he wasn't really that nice, he put us in an iron birdcage after all.

I shift uncomfortably, 'You think it might be that big guy?'

She stares at the letter, 'Let's go take a look then.'

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry for this, but I'm taking a week break since I'll be leaving the country for a trip... Actually more like scouting.**

**Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!**


	47. The Unexpected Ally

We enter the small diner at the end of the street per request of the letter that was handed to us, or at least we thought that's what the letter meant since it only has 'Mama Sunday's Diner' written on the letter and nothing else.

Right above the entrance door, there's a blinking red sign of the diner's name. The diner looks normal, and ordinary. It has tables and sofas lined up next to the glass wall with a view of the street. Written on the glass wall is the diner's name written in red transparent letters. There's a bar at the other side of the glass wall, lining up chairs against the bar. It looks pretty standard, except that no one is here at sight.

Then again, somehow almost all of Washington is empty. The white house was empty when we got there, the president wasn't there, the secret service wasn't there. Even during our walk to here we found no one at sight.

It makes sense considering that a hundred fifty people gathering on the lawn of the white house and still no one is around to look at us like we're a bunch of crazy people. On a normal day where people are around that's definitely going to happen.

Still, someone must have sent us that letter, and that someone wants to meet us. Now that we're scanning around the room, there IS actually someone here. One person is sitting at the bar eating his lunch, a large chicken burger with a side of French fries and coke.

It's pretty clear that he knows we're here, it's not like we're sneaking in anyway or something like that. Besides, the small bell above the door that rings everytime someone comes in is already enough to alert the mysterious person of our presence.

The man that's sitting at the bar has long black hair that falters to his shoulders, it looks a bit wet, his hair is pushed back completely revealing his face clearly. He has oceanic blue eyes and a young face, probably around the age of seventeen. He's wearing a bronze chainmail with long blue jeans with an aquatic gladius and an aquatic round shield strapped to his back.

'Took you all long enough.' The boy says while munching his hamburger. 'I've got to say, I had my doubts about this place but this burger is fantastic.' He grins.

Thalia holds out the letter on her hand. 'Were you the one that sent us this?' She asks.

The boy licks his hands clean, 'Yup, I did that.' He stands up and faces us. He's around 5'10" tall. 'So, should we begin then?'

I raise my eyebrow in confusion, 'Begin what exactly?'

'You're a son of Poseidon.' Thalia says.

He tilts his head, 'Haven't we established that already?' He looks to me, 'And as for your question, I mean begin fighting already.'

Thalia and I ready our weapon. 'If it's a fight that you want, then we'll be happy to oblige.' Thalia says.'

The boy holds out his hands, 'Whoaa, easy there girl. I didn't mean fight me.' He smiles playfully, 'I mean fight Yukimura's army.'

'Yukimura..?' I ask, still having my guard up.

He shrugs, 'My brother, you know, another son of Poseidon. He's the leader of the opposing army, and right now they're already nearby.'

'We know that, so what do you want from us?' Thalia glares at him, ready to maul like a Rottweiler.

He sighs, 'Geez, this is the welcome that I get from being the good guy? You're welcome.' He says, but his words only put us in an even more confused state.

'Stop playing around and tell us!' Thalia growls impatiently.

'I'm here to help you, duh.' He answers.

'Help us do what exactly? Last time we encountered a brother of yours, we ended up in a giant birdcage!' I say.

He rolls his eyes, 'To bake breads and cakes! Gods almighty, I'm here to help you in your war! I'm here to fight by your side, what else could it possibly be?'

Thalia and I glance at each other with disbelief, and then we stare at him with the same emotion.

'You don't trust me one bit, do you?' He talks to both of us.

'Nope.' I answer.

'Not even a little bit.' Thalia follows.

He sighs, 'I knew this would happen, that's why I told them that there's no way you guys would go with this idea. Look, believe what you want to believe, but I'm here to help you guys. Honest. The primordial gods thought that it's a bad idea or rather, it's unfair for you guys to face Yukimura without any backup, I mean, forget the army! He's bringing a pretty big weapon, and right now, it's facing this way!' He examines our unchanging expression, 'But you already knew that.'

We do, Selene showed it to us. The biggest and most terrifying looking monster that we have ever seen in our life. I'm not even sure what to make of what we were looking at when Selene showed us. It looks so simple, an ordinary snake, but the monster vibrates bad news from all over its skin. Our bodies produced fear just simply by looking at its image.

Thalia stays silent for a couple of seconds before dropping her guard. 'Thalia!' I whisper cautiously.

'The serpent you mean.' Thalia says.

The boy nods, his smile fades, 'Ophion , the primordial serpent, now the most dangerous monster out there.'

'How can we be sure that we can trust you?' Thalia asks calmly.

'Thalia!' My tone is clear on disapproving this.

The boy shook his head, 'You don't really. But what other choice do you have? If it helps, my life is on the line too. If you guys fall, I'll die with you. Is that enough assurance for you two?'

'And your brothers are just okay with you revolting?' I ask.

'I'm not really revolting or anything… This is the idea of the elder gods. Besides.' He smiles, almost sadly. 'I really don't have any beliefs in our cause to begin with.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means nothing, now are you going to let me help you or should I just let you fall to your demise?' He pauses, 'Of course, that would mean my demise too.'

Thalia thinks, it looks like she's considering.

'Matt, lower your weapon.' She orders.

'Thalia, are you sure? This guy can't be trusted.' I try to convince her.

'I didn't say that we can trust him, but he's right, we do need help if that serpent thing is coming our way.' Thalia says firmly.

She's right though. He was an enemy, probably still is, but right now we can use his knowledge about this whole war and how to defeat his brother's weapon, or rather the primordial gods' weapon.

Besides, I don't know why but I can tell that he's not lying and I'm pretty sure Thalia can tell too.

'What's your name?' Thalia asks.

He smiles, 'Nathaniel Hail. But call me Nathan.'

Before we can reply, the roof shakes, almost like it's going to collapse. But then I realize that it's not just the roof, the entire place is shaking. It's an earthquake. I'm about to panic but suddenly it stops without any notice.

I look to Nathan, his face is grim. 'They're here.' He says.

I sigh, readying myself. 'Here we go.'


	48. Playing Dangerously With Nathaniel Hail

'That's a lot of monsters…' I mumble as I watch the line-up of monsters marching down the North Capitol St. NW. From the earth monsters that I saw back at camp to Cyclopes, they're a merry bunch group. Hundreds of them.

The scout group consists of me, Thalia, and somehow Nathan. The guy made a pretty good argument why he should be with us here even though I wasn't really listening when he made it to Thalia. Bottom point is, it was decided that it's best that he should come with us.

We're lying down with our front body kissing the floor on the rooftop of a hotel building in between North Capitol and McCollough CT. The sun has long set and now darkness curtains the sky. It's not going to be long until sunrise. No stars, but the moon is full. The night breeze is enjoyable, and there's not a single loud noise around, except the marching of the monsters and the occasional exploding cars.

We watch the march of the monsters, they almost look like a Halloween parade but they use torches instead of colorful lightings and real scales instead of costumes. They don't happen to spread out candies and rainbow glitters all around too, more like fire and explosions for anything that gets in their way.

'Let's see… Empousas, check. Telekhines, check. Harpies, check.' Nathan grins happily like he's crossing a list of things to do and that he has accomplished something. I'm a bit confused as to why he's so happy, I mean I get that he's a son of Poseidon and all of that, and that this is in a weird way is his army, but if he was telling the truth, he would die if we lost this battle. Looking at how much they've outnumbered us, I'd say we have a slim chance of making it out of this alive.

_Great, Matt. That's what you need right now, another heart-warming speech about how badly you're going to lose and die._ I grumble in my thoughts.

Thalia stiffens; her face is filled with a mixture of emotions. Fear, anger, maybe even excitement. A strange combination of emotions, I know. She kinda likes brawling.

'So, you know them better than I do. What's the weak link of this army?' Thalia asks Nathan.

'Weak link?' Nathan looks at Thalia with an expression that kinda says: _Dude, you're kidding me, right?_ 'I have no idea what kind of weak link does this army possess since I never got the chance to actually spend time with them. There was no introduction or bon fire playtime or any other army to ravage with this army. How should I know how they fight?' Nathan says it like it's the most obvious thing in this world. 'If there's one thing that I know though, this is not all of them. I don't know where the rest are, but they're probably with my brother.'

Thalia grunts, 'Some help you are, Hail.'

Nathan smirks, 'Hey, you called me Hail. Aww, does this mean we're BFF already?'

'I should impale you with my spear right now.' Thalia's eyes light up like sparks of electricity. Man, she's scary when she does that. Thalia looks grimly to the army of monsters again, 'Let's just get back to Malcolm and we'll come up with a strategy later.'

'Good idea, can we get some cheeseburgers on the way home?' I say, trying to cheer her up even just a slightest bit.

Thalia sighs, 'You know, you're very similar to him.' Thalia points back to Nathan.

'Take that back, I'm nothing like him! I'm better looking.' Nathan smirks.

'That's still up for discussion, or not, we all know that I'm the better looking one.' I reply back to his comment.

'I take everything back, in a different situation, you guys can be twins. Actually, in whichever situation that we're in, you two are twins.' Thalia says.

'I don't look like scar-body here.' He mocks.

'And I don't look like a girl.' I say back.

Nathan laughs with amusement. 'I like you, Matt. You're funny, and might be an even match to me in a thousand years.'

I smirk, 'True, a thousand years should be enough for you to catch up to me.'

Thalia rolls her eyes, 'Are we done with deciding who's manlier than who? Because I would like to get back to our friends and warn them about the thousand monsters that are coming their way.'

Three loud _bams_ arrive right behind us. We look back slowly, and dust are scattering around clouding whatever that has just arrived. The ground beneath them cracks, they're heavy, that much is certain. First are lions' head, three to be exact. Then the three bodies, goats' body. Finally, the diamondback snake-headed tail for each body.

'Chimeras.' Nathan stands up quickly. He grabs his sword and shield that are strapped to his back and flashes them to the monsters.

Thalia and I follow, drawing our weapons and readying ourselves for the upcoming attack.

Just when I thought that these three are the only things that I have to worry about, from right behind the chimeras, another being landed, this one is at least thrice the noise that the chimeras created when they landed. Oh joy, this one is going to be a lot bigger and heavier.

From the dusts, a pair of glistening crimson eyes light up like decorations on a Christmas tree. The thing waves his hammer, dispersing the dusts that scattered around it. Its bull's head is the first thing that we see after its hammer.

I've never seen the creature before in my life but even I know what it is, it's pretty obvious. A large Minotaur appears holding a giant hammer and looking really really angry.

'Running is not an option, is it?' I ask even though I already know the answer.

We're on the rooftop of a nine stories building, the door is right behind the monsters and I'm pretty sure that even if we can make it there, we won't be arriving with just small wounds. This entire rooftop is a killbox.

'Not unless you can fly.' Thalia mutters.

'Nathan laughs in ecstasy, 'Cheer up you two! 'Tis a good day to die!' Nathan leaps to the monsters without waiting for us. Heck, he probably didn't even think twice about leaping ahead.

'Oh great! We have crazy with us!' I grumble in frustration. I just realized that his bravado, careless attitude that I got to know in just the past couple of hours, he's just as reckless as he is crazy. Figuring his personality wasn't hard, accepting that he's crazy, now that's a different story.

Nathan trades blows with the chimeras. He would swing his sword, and the chimeras would leap back and forth, dodging Nathan's attack and try to counter back. When the chimeras strike whether they breathe fire or with their super scary diamondback snake tails, Nathan would put up his shield and blocks the chimeras' attack.

Thalia leaps in to join the battle, but the moment she gets the chimeras' attention, Nathan charges to the Minotaur, leaving Thalia behind with the chimeras.

I jump onto one of the chimeras while its attention is still on Thalia, riding its goat body, stabbing it multiple times before it disintegrates into dusts. Thalia waves her spear lightly like just waving a simple ordinary stick. Man, she's strong, probably can choke the living out of me. It feels weird that I actually, might, probably, want to see that happen.

_Keep making jokes, Grey. Keep making jokes and it'll happen._ Somehow I can imagine Thalia's voice, saying that to me. The only problem with that is I would end up dead.

Thalia uses her spear as a pole and swings around it like a dancer, kicking a chimera with all her might. The chimera stumbles back, grunting in the process. The chimera has Thalia's boot print on its face, it growls louder and grows angrier.

The other chimera turns its attention to me, with his eyes full of bloodlust and his mouth full of fangs that look like rotten sharpened knives. Drools leaked out of the chimera's mouth, and the chimera keeps licking his mouth like it just found a meal after three days being hungry.

_Oh look, an easy meal._ It probably thought to himself.

The chimera flings himself unto me, it definitely thinks that I'm an easy prey since that was done without any thinking. I've heard that chimeras have human intelligence, but these creatures seem weird to me, they look like rabid animals without any actual intelligence. Like dogs that haven't been fed in days.

I duck quickly and swing my blade vertically while the chimera flies above me. My blade scratches the bottom of his belly just slightly, not enough to cause any good damage, but it definitely hurt.

The chimera crashes down, the ground beneath it cracks a bit. It stands up again, now it looks really really angry. Kinda look like Thalia before, but somehow Thalia still seemed scarier than the chimera right now.

The chimera begins to circle me, and I circle back. The beast and I are face to face while walking in a circle, I grip my sword tightly. Real life combat is so different from training, I can feel the pressure of life and death. The cold touch of the reaper on my face, the chill on my spine, yet I feel the burning sensation on my body, sweats keep falling down from my face. I take a calm deep breath while still paying a close attention to the chimera.

The chimera readies itself again. It springs unto me with jaws full of drool and dreadful breath. It lands onto me and knocks me off balance. I fall to the ground with the beast on me and my sword knocked off of my hand.

Its jaws full of fangs reach out to me, trying to take a bite. I hold his head back off with both my hands. The creature is strong, it's taking everything out of me just to keep his jaws away from me. The rotten stench is potent, in a different situation, his breath is enough to make me puke.

At least this can't possibly be worse.

I was wrong. The diamondback snake-tail slithers its way right above the head. The snake open its mouth, poison falls off from its two distinct greenish fangs.

I scan the area around quickly, looking for my sword. My sword is just a couple of inches away from my hand, it's so close yet it seems so far. I start to panic a bit, and I have to think quickly or else I'm going to die.

'Matt! Hang on!' Thalia yells out. I can hear her spear clashes with something, she's still fighting the other chimera.

I can't hang on that long, I would be dead by the time she finishes her opponent. No, this is something that I have to finish by myself.

_Think, Grey, think quickly before the snake or the lion eats you._

I can't think of anything that quick, but I know what I can do that might just work. I shove the head as hard as I can, and I swing my fist, connecting it to the lion's cheek. My strength, that's what I have. The head staggers back but the body remains unmoving and the snake tail remains unflinching. It doesn't matter, it's enough. I grab my sword and when the snake tail pounces, I slice off the snake's neck.

The chimera stumbles back, more importantly, it stumbles off of me. I get up quickly and while it's still in a dazed state, I sink my blade through the creature's mouth, through the fangs and into the throat. The chimera disintegrates into dusts.

Now, while still trying to catch my breath, I scan the area around for Thalia. Her spear is buried deep in the roof, but the person herself is missing from sight. Around a dozen steps away from the spear is Thalia with her dual daggers drawn, and the chimera with scratches all over it.

Thalia throws one of her daggers and it hits the chimera right in its forehead, she dashes right to the chimera and uses the other dagger to stab the chimera from under its jaws. Thalia escapes back and she calls upon a thunder to strike down the chimera, vaporizing it into dusts. Talk about serious overkill.

All the chimeras are now dead, so the Minotaur is all that's left.

The sound of angry stomping hoofs and bellowing reach out probably even to down below to the very corner of the street. The hammer's noise, crashing down, breaking the ground beneath it, almost shattering.

I look to Nathan, enjoying himself as he sways to every direction, dodging the Minotaur's attack. He looks like he's dancing, the weird and somehow kinda cool one. His expression is like telling us that he's having the best time in the world right now.

_He's really insane._ I mumble in my thoughts.

Every attack that Nathan dodges, he misses it by a hair. If he's just a little bit off, the Minotaur is going to swat him like a fly. Yet, his face is telling me that there's a chance he's doing it on purpose.

Is it bad for me to actually hope that one of the hammer's strikes would hit him in the face? Yeah, it probably is. It's probably because I imagine that it would be like one of those comedy films where when the Minotaur hit him in the face, it would probably only daze Nathan. Of course that split second imagination was shattered with the realization that if it actually hits, Nathan is dead.

The Minotaur makes a huge swing, dropping the hammer down but not before Nathan sways to the right and the hammer crashes down, missing Nathan, and making a hole on the ground.

Nathan lunges to the Minotaur and bashes its head with his shield. The shield creates a loud ringing noise, it's vibrating like crazy but Nathan is unaffected. The Minotaur on the other hand, staggers back, in a dazed and confused state while holding its head with its left hand while its right is still wielding the large iron hammer.

Nathan proceeds to bury his sword deep between the Minotaur's chest. The Minotaur wails in pain, that attack should have killed it, but the Minotaur lives and it swings its hammer again. Even Nathan looks shocked at that split second.

Something flies through the air right next to my head and strikes the Minotaur in the head, disintegrating it into dusts. Thalia's spear is now buried in the yellow dusts that used to be the Minotaur.

Behind me, Thalia looks satisfied with a huge wide smirk on her face. Her throw was wickedly awesome, it was fast, strong, and more importantly, accurate. Kinda glad that it didn't go through my head to reach the Minotaur's.

'Thanks, sky princess.' Nathan says with a short breath.

'You're welcome, Hail.' Thalia replies, she retrieves her spear.

The bellowing of the monsters on the streets get louder, especially the wailings of the harpies on the sky.

'We better get a move now, we've caused a lot of mess.' Nathan suggests. He straps his shield and sword on his back.

'Seconded.' I say before I sprint to the door.

Somehow, three amazingly gorgeous girls drop right in front of the door, halting me from using it. I look at their smooth tall legs and beautiful face. They're wearing short skirt and a tank top, each in different bright color.

I fix my hair quickly, 'Hello there, ladies.'

The three girls smile enchantingly to me. Before I can do anything else, Nathan grabs my shoulder and holds me back.

'Whoa there, Casanova. Unless you want to make out with empousas, I suggest we run. Now!'

'Those are empousas?' I mutter.

Nathan runs to the ledge of the rooftop with me and Thalia following him from behind.

Okay, so that might not have been the best idea since I called him crazy, and insane not so long ago. The problem is, I didn't even remember it myself until he jumped over the black iron railing, freefalling seven stories below.

Thalia and I hit the quick brake and lean over the railing, looking down at the ground and kinda waiting for that sound that bodies make when they splat down on the ground.

_Note to self: Stop watching too much Crime series._

The sound never came and Nathan is already halfway down, holding on to a white silk linen rope, while making his way down quickly.

I finally notice the rope's end is tied up to a hook that is locked on the railing. Nathan must have hooked it up when he jumped over.

'You guys are waiting for an invitation or what!?' Nathan yells out.

'Have I told you how insane he is?' I mutter.

'Yes, once. And then your face said it a couple more times.'

Thalia jumps over the railing and climbs down the rope. I glance back, the empousas are strangely in no hurry to catch us. They're merely strolling to our direction.

That can't be good, when monsters are relaxing like that when the good guys are trying to escape, mostly it's because it's a trap or there's something else waiting for the good guys at the end of the road. I've watched too many films to think otherwise.

Still, I don't want to spend a moment longer than I have to on this rooftop.

I follow Thalia and climb down the rope as fast as I can. Once we hit the ground, we sprint back to the main road, following the sidewalk.

We can hear monsters wailing and bellowing not far behind us. Glancing back at the street, the monsters are marching down in our way. Hellhounds running and stomping in our direction, seriously though, where did they come from? The harpies are wailing and flying to us. In a matter of minutes they'll catch us.

'How far is it again back to the white house?' I ask while still running with Nathan and Thalia for our lives.

'Too far.' Nathan mutters. He takes a quick scan of the area. 'Follow me.' He says as if he just spotted something that piques his interest greatly.

He dashes to a nearby parked blue Volvo sedan on the side of the street on his left. He slides over the hood of the car and breaks the glass window. He slithers his hand through the broken window and unlocks the door. He enters the car in a hurry and starts ransacking the place while we still just stand there watching him, slightly confused of what to do.

Nathan realizes that we're still just standing still, he sighs and looks at us in frustration. He opens the glass window of the passenger's seat. 'Well? Are you two waiting for an invitation or just waiting for the monsters to eat us?'

'Oh, right.' I say. Thalia and I enter the car in a hurry. I get into the passenger's seat, and Thalia gets into the back.

'We agreed not to use anything loud!' Thalia yells.

'I'm sorry, apparently our location is still unknown the monsters behind us!' Nathan replies in annoyance.

Nathan is still busy looking for something. He folds down the sun visor right above the steering wheel, the car's key drop down onto his lap.

'Found it!' Nathan yelps in excitement.

'Interesting choice for a vehicle.' I murmur.

'It was either this or a Ferrari, and I don't see any Ferrari around.'

My eyes widen, 'Why a Ferrari or a Volvo?'

'I've only driven two cars before, thought it would be easier to drive if I pick a car that the control would be familiar.' He sticks the key in and starts the engine.

I gulp, 'You do know how to drive, right?'

'Of course I do! What kind of a question is that!?' He says gleefully. 'I've driven like four or five times before.'

Thalia groans, 'By the gods! Can't anyone else drive!?' She asks the room but it's more directed to me.

'Hey, don't look at me, I never got the chance to learn how to drive. Never even held a steering wheel in my life before!' I admit.

Something crashed down suddenly right on the trunk, the car shakes violently. All three of us glance back and spot a big chunk of rock, the size of a watermelon, just found its way into the trunk of the car.

The monsters are already close, the hellhounds and the harpies are just a dozen steps away behind us.

'Go! Now!' Thalia orders.

Nathan straps on his seatbelt, he grins gleefully. 'Safety first.'

I buckle up and Thalia holds onto her chair.

Nathan punches the gas, and the car sprints out of there. The sudden jolt forces us back against our chair. Nathan shifts the gear, going even faster. The car is kinda shaky, the shaky kinda way that can tell us that the car is jolting left and right, up and down. It's a lot like riding a roller coaster, the difference is, this one is operated by a maniac that probably knows jack squat about driving.

Thalia yells out curses in ancient greek everytime the car makes a slight or a long jump, which is once every fifteen seconds. He's driving like one of those daredevil racing film, just a lot more reckless, and a lot more amateurish. It doesn't bring any comfort remembering those stupid films.

The car makes a loud screeching noise when it takes a sharp turn to the left, it slams us right to the door. Nathan looks joyful, his eyes never left the road. My side of the car slams against some other cars, but Nathan keeps going, and the friction between the cars create a disturbing loud noise.

The insurance company would have a lot of clients once this is all over.

Nathan turns the wheel again, avoiding the cars now, but a little bit too much that we smash through a fire hydrant.

I grab the assist handle right above the door like my life is depended on it. Actually to be fair, I think my life does depend on it. 'Holy Morpheus! If I make it out of here alive, I promise to take more nap and stop being more hyperactive!' I pray loudly to the god of sleep, my father.

'How is you taking more naps would please Morpheus!?' Thalia yells out in frustration.

'He's the god of sleep! If I sleep more it'll please him!' I reply.

'He's the god of dreams, you ignorant buffoon!'

I let out a small: 'Oh…'

A _thud_ appears on top of the car, followed by the sounds of claws sinking into the roof of the car. The claws are tearing up the roof, slowly but surely.

'Harpies!' Nathan yells out.

Two heavy objects are slamming their bodies to each side of our car. The car stumbles, still going but it won't be able to take much more slamming.

'Hellhounds!' I say.

On my right is a black-furred hellhound, and there's another same colored hellhound on Nathan's side. Both creatures are eager to eat us up.

'We have more companies behind us!' Nathan says as he looks at the rear-side mirror.

He's right. There are at least a dozen other hellhounds and two dozen more harpies following us.

He looks at us with disbelief, 'Less freeze-freeze and more stab-stab!' Nathan uses his right hand to demonstrate thrusting our weapon. It would have been funny if we're not in grave danger.

Thalia drives her spear through the roof of the car. The harpy above us wails in pain, my guess is that Thalia's spear found its way to the harpy.

The window on my side is already cracked and the door is crooked, almost torn off from all the smashing that the hellhounds did. Can't open it, have to smash it open. I put all my strength behind my leg and kick the door. It budges but not enough. I take a deep breath and kick the door once more, it flung open.

I jab the hellhound on my side a couple of times, keeping it away from us.

'Go faster!' I order Nathan while still jabbing.

'There's no faster! Nothing left on the gas pedal to press anymore!' Nathan screams in frustration.

A really ugly and hairy hand goes through the roof of the car, the claws missed me by two inches. Everything goes silent for a couple of seconds. The harpy above pull its hand back out. I look through an arm-sized hole right above me, the harpy sink its claws into the roof and tears the roof open.

The harpy leans forward and shrieks, I counter it back with the most girlish scream I can manage.

An arrow flies through the air and shoots the harpy on the chest. The harpy disintegrates into yellow dusts that are scattered around by the wind.

'Hunters!' Thalia smiles in relief as she yelps out that word.

On our right, above the "Charlie Palmer Steak DC" restaurant, dozens of hunters are standing there with their bows drawn.

_Checkpoint!_ I mutter in relief.

They let out a volley of arrows, raining down upon the harpies and the hellhounds behind us.

Clarisse charges with the ground force and overrun the two hellhounds beside us while creating a safe passage for us to go through. Nathan goes through smoothly, and more importantly, he didn't hit anyone with a car.

Nathan hit a sudden brake and we all jolt forward.

'Thank you for travelling with Nathan's speed ground travel. We hope you enjoy your travel and wish to see you all again.' He says, mimicking a voice that you usually hear in the airplane when you've reached your destination.

'Never again…' I mumble with a heavy breath.

'Never…' Thalia agrees. She exits the car, shakily, her legs are trembling.

My legs on the other hand feel numb, too much excitement for one day, or rather, one night. I just want to curl up in my bed and sleep.

I glance behind, the monsters are losing, but I know the creatures chasing us are just small portion of the real deal. They're just the small hunting party.

I look over to the horizon, lights start to come out from there, dawn is upon us, the sun is going to rise any minute now. I didn't even realize the passing time.

Nathan exits the door, he walks up to Thalia and puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder with a teasing grin.

Another hunter runs to us, to Thalia to be exact. I wouldn't mind for her to actually run to me. The thought of that makes me smirk.

'Thalia! I have news for you.' The hunter says.

'Don't keep us waiting then.' Nathan blurts.

The hunter glances at Nathan, but decides to ignore him. 'Someone just showed up, and she's one of the demigods from the camp. She has news for you but she refuses to come with us, she said that she'll be waiting for you in the white house.'

'A demigod? Who is it?' Thalia asks.

'Annabeth Chase.'


	49. The Morning Before The Battle

'Thalia.' Annabeth calls me as I walk into the oval room.

There's something strange about her, and not just in her down tone that can bring down an entire population of a skyscraper or her grim face that can darken everyone in a beach party, it's the way she reacted when Thalia and I entered the room. Empty, nothing cheerful or bright or anything loud actually. I half-expected them to run to each other and hug it out, and I could have swore that it's what this kind of girls do. I mean, based on what I've been observing anyway.

The sun has risen and it shines through the three windows behind the presidential chair. Annabeth is standing there with one hand on the resolute desk, and the sun lighting up her dark expression.

Annabeth just stands there, she looks clean and uninjured, and her weight seems to not have changed much. Yet there's just something about her, something that can tell everyone in the room that she's not okay. She's been through a lot, way more than what Thalia and I went through. I know because Annabeth is the strong one, I saw it the moment I first met her, the first time I saw her eyes. She must have seen something terrible.

I know Thalia wants to rush to her friend and give her a warm hug and smile, but Annabeth has a face that is repelling anyone from coming closer to her.

Thalia looks concerned, she can tell it too from Annabeth's face. 'Annabeth.' She almost whispers. 'Are you okay..?' She examines her from top to bottom.

Annabeth manages a weak smile, I recognize that look, she's forcing a smile to fend off more questions. 'I'm fine.' Is all that she says.

Thalia doesn't look like she's buying it, but she nods nevertheless, 'Alright then… If you say so.'

'So it's here then… Yukimura's army, I mean.' Annabeth mutters.

I nod, 'Yeah, and it's really an army. There are hundreds of them coming our way.'

Annabeth looks through the windows, scanning, searching for something. She turns to us. 'Is… Is Percy here..?' Her eyes glimmer with the faintest hope.

Thalia and I look to each other before facing her again, 'No, sorry… From the six of us that went for the journey, only two of us are here. We don't know where Lisa, Matt, and Percy are.' I say.

Lisa, I haven't seen her in a while. I hope she's fine… She's one of the first friends that I made when I first arrived in camp. I have to admit, I miss having her nagging behind my back, never thought that I would give a lot of things just to have her haunts my back and yells at me again.

Annabeth hardens her face, trying to look strong. 'Okay, then first thing that we have to—' Annabeth trails off and her stare is fixed to whatever that is right behind us.

'Annabeth?' Thalia asks.

Annabeth freezes and stiffens like a statue, her expression is a mixture of shocked, rage, and mild curiosity.

I look back slowly, Nathan is there with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. He watches us with a small smile; then again, I hardly ever see his face without at least a twitch of a smile.

'What are you doing here!?' Annabeth's voice is full of hostility, and it's directed to Nathan.

Nathan raises an eyebrow, 'Nothing much really, just wondering what you guys are planning to get through the night.'

Annabeth marches to Nathan. Without any warning, she grabs the collar of his shirt, pulls him and slams him against the wall. 'You're not supposed to be here.'

Nathan groans. 'Annabeth!' Thalia calls.

Annabeth turns to us with a murderous expression, 'Why is he here!?'

'He's here to help! Annabeth, relax!' I say to her, a bit worried what she's going to do next.

'They're right, Annabeth Chase. Relax, I'm here because I'm helping you all.' He assures her.

Annabeth turns back to him, her hands are still on his collar, she presses him harder. 'Yeah? Why would an enemy wants to help us?'

Nathan laughs dryly, 'Why is the correct question, but unfortunately, I don't have the right answer for you. Sorry, Annabeth.'

Annabeth grits her teeth in frustration, she glances back to us, 'He's a son of Poseidon!'

I sigh, 'We know.'

Annabeth stiffens, she looks to us with disbelief, 'You knew?' Is all she said, but her face is saying something like _Then why didn't you do anything about it!?_

'He told us…' Thalia answers. 'He's here to help us.'

'_Di Immortales!_ Are you listening to yourself!? He's a SON OF POSEIDON!' Annabeth emphasizes with hostility.

'Percy is also a son of Poseidon. Does that make him an enemy too?' Nathan asks with a smirk.

Annabeth turns her glare back to Nathan, 'Don't you dare—'

'No? Alright, fine. What about Marcus then? You've met him, right?'

Annabeth looks speechless, from what I've heard, that doesn't happen often.

'Not all of us are like Jonathan, little wisdom daughter.' Nathan's tone is soft and gentle. 'And not all of us want revenge.' Sadness flash across Nathan's eyes, it disappears as quickly as it appears. 'I've heard about Cathy… And I'm sorry, I never wanted that to happen. I couldn't predict what Jonathan did, none of us could.'

Annabeth calms down a bit. She doesn't look murderous anymore, in fact, she looks a bit sad like she just remembered something bad.

I stand there, confused, looking to Thalia for some answers about what they're talking about. But Thalia looks as puzzled as I am, she doesn't have a single clue what they're talking about.

Annabeth lets go of Nathan. 'Then what is it that you want? I doubt you're here because you disagree with your brothers' method.'

'It's nothing complicated. My fate is bound to all of you, if you all die, I will die as well.' Nathan says it casually.

Annabeth stares deep into Nathan's eyes, not the romantic kind of course, more something like digging through his soul to find his deepest secrets.

'I don't buy it.' Annabeth says. 'I've met with everyone else except you and the one called Matthew… But it's enough, I know that all of you are dead set in destroying the world. All of you are willing to die for your cause, even Marcus was willing to die for his brothers, so let's try this one more time, why are you here?'

Nathan looks impressed, 'They weren't kidding when they said that you're smart.' He sighs, he looks reluctant to share, 'I never believed in our cause. The whole revenge on the gods thing… Not that the others would listen to me, but waging war against Olympus is folly. If we lose, we'd all die, if we win… What then? We'll become the new gods?' Nathan snorts, 'Sorry, but I never wanted to be a god, never will too.'

'Wait—Hold on! Be a god?' I interrupt them. I don't know what he meant by that but I'm pretty sure that I won't like it.

'Willy said something similar. Care to explain?' Annabeth says.

Nathan takes a deep breath and a long pause before he says, 'Fine… I guess it doesn't matter anyway even if you know. You see… When we win, the primordial will make us into immortal beings, strong enough to wage war against the gods. They'll assist us of course, in an attempt to overthrow the Olympians, but really… What's the point?'

'When you win?' Thalia scowls, 'Having a lot of confidence now, are we?'

Nathan's expression remains still. 'Have you looked outside? I don't know if you counted correctly, but you people are clearly outnumbered. Not to mention, there's still the fact that you all have to kill Ophion, a god now in a serpent monster form.' Nathan grunts, 'No amount of numbers will make a difference in that.'

That information reminds me once more of what I saw back at Selene's place. The incredibly large scary looking slithering serpent beast, which obviously is poisonous, deadly poisonous, I don't need anyone explaining that to me, it's already blatantly obvious. I don't know why whenever there's a snake monster or anything that looks like a snake, they're always poisonous. Seriously, I mean is being larger than a school bus is not enough weapon already? I mean that thing could have swallowed five people whole with no trouble at all.

'Continue.' Annabeth orders.

Nathan sighs. He glances quickly to Thalia, 'IF we win, we become gods. But even then, we have to wage war against the Olympian gods. What do you expect them to do, really? That they'll just make way for us to the seats of power? By gods, no. They'll fight, and no matter how powerful do you think the primordials are, the gods are powerful too. They won't just sit back and hope for the best, they're going to fight back and it's going to be brutal! This war against you demigods is just a way so that no _Ichor_ would be spilled, the peace way, but at the cost of us, pawns' life. Sure, once we become gods, the chances are, we're going to win with the primordials helping us, but how many must die in order for us to get there? Maybe there will be only one of us left, maybe in the war, we all died in the end. Even now alone, Matthew already gave his life away in this war. Sebastian, Cassandra, and Cornelius didn't even get the chance to fight, they died before all of this could even begin. There were nine of us when we started all of this, now there are only five of us!' Nathan looks sad for a moment, but it disappears quickly. 'I don't want more of us to die, not just my siblings but you all too, all the demigods, but I can't just pretend that the gods are almighty just, that we demigods don't deserve something better than the gods of Olympus.' Nathan heaves out another sigh, he looks to Annabeth. 'I'm here because I don't care anymore… Because I can't figure out which one is better than the other, your cause to protect the people that you love in the present, or my brothers' cause to protect the future of the people that they will love again someday. I don't know how to decide something like that, so here I am, the only one that the elder gods would be willing to send, the only one that they CAN send, to know that I will remain here because it is the fate that has been chosen for me, because I was too confused and couldn't make a decision, maybe even still is… Perhaps this is the best choice there is for me.' Now he looks to all of us. 'I was once like you too, a demigod proud to be a part of camp halfblood… Now I'm willing to be one of you once again. If I die as a demigod protecting my old belief, my faith in the demigods, the friends around me instead of the gods above… Then I suppose it is a death worth dying for. Believe it or not, that's all the reasons that I have and need. The question now is, are you still willing to fight for the Olympian gods, knowing that they hold so little regards of your lives.'

'They aren't just using us.' Thalia says, a hint of hostility in her tone. Artemis and Zeus have been treating her right, at least I think so.

'You know better than that, Thalia Grace.' He looks to me, 'Can you say the same, Matt Grey? Do you really believe that the fight is worth it?' Nathan shifts to Annabeth, 'If you surrender now, I'm sure that my brothers can work out some sort of a deal with the elder gods, the primordials won't be too happy about it, but they can have their fun when my brothers ransack Olympus. Marcus would be more than pleased to see no more blood spilled, he would work it out with the others, he won't let anything happen.'

He leaves the three of us a bit baffled, unsure of how to respond to him, what to say. I haven't been in camp that long but I know that the gods aren't exactly attentive to us. I lived for sixteen years and all I've ever gotten from my dad is a letter indicating that I am his son. But still… To think that the gods are just using us as their pawns, it occurred to me once but I brushed it aside thinking that the Olympians didn't have any choice but to leave their fate to us. Thinking about it one more time, is it really that? Or is it like what Nathan just said? That the gods don't want to fight their war that they're trying to avoid it by sacrificing us. We're acceptable loss, if we all die, I realize that now. Our lives are so small in the eyes of the gods. They might deny it but it's true, even after Percy's pact with them. They might live up to the promises they made but the significance of our lives won't change to them, we're still small, and perhaps he's right, we're insignificant for the gods. Yet something tells me that it isn't the whole story. Annabeth and Thalia don't seem to realize it, so I just brush it away, thinking that I'm probably wrong anyway.

'It doesn't matter.' Annabeth mutters, and we all turn our attention to her. 'We need to fight this fight because we want to stay alive, we're fighting this war not because we want to defend the gods, we're done with that. We're fighting this war because we want to save the world, we have to, it has always been the reason that I fought. So that I can return back home and once again, be with my friends, be with my family, with all the people that I care about.' She looks to us, as if trying to convince us rather than answering Nathan.

'But if you surr—' Nathan says.

Annabeth cuts him off, 'We're not giving up. Sure, the gods can be selfish, they can be arrogant and pompous jerks, but I've seen their soft sides, their kind and nurturing side. The Olympian gods are still our parents, and I want to protect them. I love my mother, Athena, and I will never be willing to give her up without a fight. And no offense, but I know enough that even if we surrender, there's no guaranteeing our lives. Jonathan killed someone innocent in front of me, and I won't let him become a god just so that he can have more power at his disposal. He's just as twisted as the primordials are, and I won't let them win.' Her eyes burn up once more, the cold stare that she was throwing earlier is now completely gone. Now they're back to the eyes that I saw once back in camp. Strange how what Annabeth needed to get her spirits back is not to get lectures, but to give one.

She's right though, raising the white flag is not an option. Thalia and I give each other an assuring look and nod to Annabeth in agreement.

'She's right.' Thalia mutters.

'You got your answer.' I say to Nathan.

Nathan sighs, but Annabeth gets in front of him, 'What about you? You really think that you can go up against your own brother?'

Nathan raises a brow, 'You still don't trust me, do you?'

'Not by a long shot.'

He shrugs casually like he was expecting that. 'Fair enough. But you'll just have to trust me enough to watch your back this time.'

'That's kinda contradictory, isn't it? I mean you said that we don't have to trust you but we have to trust you with our lives—' I say.

His hand appears almost instantly, his open palm is up against my face, 'Shut it, I'm in the middle of an inspirational speech.'

'Skip it, I have a war to plan.' Annabeth says. 'Now would be a good time to tell us everything you know about the army.'

Nathan shakes his head, 'As I've told your friends here, I never lead this army before, I don't know their strength, or their weakness, not that there would be one. I know Yukimura, he's one heck of a strategist. If there's a hole in his army, he would have fixed it by now. But I do know one thing that is certain.'

'Don't keep us waiting.' Thalia crosses her arms, she looks impatient.

'We need Percy, we need him really bad.' Nathan shakes his head, 'If you want a chance of beating his army and Ophion, I suggest you DON'T fight his army and Ophion. You challenge him to a duel, _mano e mano_. Winner gets to do what they want, loser has to abide the winner's wishes.'

'What makes you think he would agree with all his advantages?' Thalia asks. 'And why do we even need Percy?'

'Because that's his way of fighting, Yukimura is a warrior, one that lives by the code of honor. If someone demands a duel, he won't refuse. Problem is there's no one else here that can beat Yukimura, trust me, I know because I've checked. Not even you, princess.' He quickly adds the last part to Thalia. 'I know that you think you're an equal match to Percy, but that was weeks ago, now you don't even hold a candle against him anymore.'

Thalia is about to protest, but I start before her, 'Then what about you?'

Nathan raises an eyebrow. 'What about me?'

'Can't you fight him?'

Nathan grunts, 'I can't.'

'Why not?' My tone becomes much more insisting.

'Wow, you ask a lot of questions.' Nathan sighs, 'If you really must know, I can't fight him because I know that I can't win against him. We may be equal in terms of physical prowess and fighting skills, but our reasons for fighting are different, and no matter how wrong his reasons seem, he still fighting for his beliefs… I on the other hand, am fighting for reasons nowhere close to the strength of his reasons. That one small difference in us would mean the world in combat.'

'Well then we're out of luck because Percy isn't here.' I say.

Nathan shrugs, 'Not too late to surrender.'

Annabeth ignores him, 'We have until sunset to prepare. I assume they're going to march again once darkness returns. Monsters never did like sunlight. But we're going to have to figure out how to take on so many monsters. I saw the army, there are way more of them than us.'

'So what are we going to do?' Thalia asks.

Annabeth fiddles with her hair, 'I'm still working on that, but I need you to fill me in on the details of everything that has happened so far.'

'We do know where they are, and the routes that they're going to take.' I mutter.

Thalia raises an eyebrow, 'What's your point, Grey?'

I shrug, 'Why don't we just set traps? You know, like fire blazing up from the ground and trapping them as they pass! Or like boulders rolling down the road and grinding them all to dusts!' Both Annabeth and Thalia stare at me.

'I know I know, bad idea. I'll shut up now.'

Thalia and Annabeth give each other a quick look before mischievously grinning to me.


	50. The Trap

I watch the monsters march down the street from the rooftop of one of the building at the side of the street, they're all looking serious and on their guard. Seriously though, why are they doing that? Do they even know that they outnumber us at least five to one? They can at least be a little bit more laid-back, relaxed, or something like that, not dead set serious and ready to kill us. I sigh quietly in my heart, complaining silently won't do us much good.

'You're too tense, relax.' Nathan is the one who breaks the silence.

I heave out a sigh, 'Of all the people that I can be stuck with, I'm stuck with you.'

Nathan rolls his eyes, 'Hey, you're not my first choice in the list of top ten people I want to be stuck with either.'

I carefully put my eyes on him, examining every single thing about him. Can we really trust this guy? I mean it's obvious that he's really really suspicious, so why did we let him in? Because we need every help that we can get? That would be a valid reason except that he's only one demigod, how much help can he really give us, not to mention is it even worth risking our safety for that? He might be a spy. Then again, not like he has done anything so far to let us believe so. Also, he did point to us that there's not much to spy from us anyway, to this, Annabeth agreed. He never did leave our sight as well, so he couldn't have told anyone about anything, but now is crucial. What if suddenly he springs to his feet and starts yelling like a madman?

I grumble again in my thoughts, I usually rely on my experience of watching over countless of movies, but this is something that I can't really solve because this goes two way. I've seen movies that led to the betrayal of the mysterious suspicious helper, and I've seen movies where the mysterious suspicious helper actually helped the protagonist.

Nathan raises his eyebrow, 'What? Don't tell me you're falling in love with me?' I didn't even realize that I'm still staring. He sighs, 'Dude, I know I'm gorgeous, but seriously, I'm not really into boys.' He says while looking at me from top to bottom, 'And even if I were, you're not my type.'

I grunt, 'You know, you really are one narcissistic Cyclops' pain in the butt.'

There's a wide smirk on his face, 'Thank you, I try my best to be so.'

Nathan stiffens almost right away, his eyes are directed to the street. His index finger is placed over his lips, he hushes me silently. I tear my gaze away from him to the road below. One of the Cyclopes has parted from the marching monsters, it sets its way to our directions, its eyes are fixed on the upper part of the building, scanning and searching for something, searching for us. I put my head even lower, as if I want to melt down and be one with the floor.

Nathan and I tense up as we steal small glances without even moving our head to the road below. The Cyclops stands there, staring in our direction. I feel my heart slamming against my chest, if they discover us, they'll be flooding into this building which goes against our plan. For our traps to work, we need them to march down the pre-determined road normally.

Finally after a while of staring, the Cyclops seems to have determined that there's nothing here, so it turns back and enters the lineup of monsters. Nathan and I exhale in relief, we let our body relax. Though I'm pretty sure Thalia is going to kill me later, she definitely saw we both almost spoiling the plan.

I memorized it earlier, the imaginary lines connecting to each other, forming a square shaped area. It's as vivid to me as if someone had drawn it in a bright illuminating paint. As soon as the monsters fit perfectly in the box, Nathan springs to his feet. There's not a second to waste after all. In his hand is a vial of greek fire and throws it to the feet at the monsters in the front.

Green fire lights up the ground the way people would write someone's name with fire in films. Annabeth suggested using oil as a path for the fire to travel; the green fire traps the monsters in a box. The blaring fire burns brightly and destructively. I can feel the burning heat even all the way up here as the heat of the flame kisses my skin. Sweats trickling down my face, and I can see that it trickles down Nathan's too. The wind blows easily, but it's enough for the blaring flame to reach the monsters in the open box of fire. They start burning down, some turn instantly into dust, others wildly make their way out of the flame. In that instant, Clarisse springs into action with the ground troops and a roaring battle cry, from the shadows of the alleys between the buildings. They mow down any monster that comes out of the fiery box, the monsters provide almost no resistance of having their head chopped off. Thalia, with the hunters, are inside the building, already smashed every window apart earlier before, orders the hunters to volley the monsters with arrows, arrows with head, lighted with greek fire. This all happened so quickly that the monsters behind, outside of the fiery box, are too dumbfounded to do anything.

'It's working perfectly!' I say loudly to Nathan, but still coming out normal because of the cries and roars of the battle.

Nathan is kneeling, looking down below. 'Yeah, well, it's too bad we don't have enough greek fire or oil, otherwise we could have just lighted up the whole army without having to trap them in the first place.' he grunts.

I raise to my feet, 'We can't have everything now, can we? Now come on! Next position!' I turn around and sprint to the edge of the roof. We also took the liberty of removing every railing that the next ten buildings have, just in case. I jump off one roof onto another, I land and I roll forward, glancing back to see if Nathan is following me, which he is. 'Move it! Before they regroup!'

Nathan lands perfectly right next to me, his look is serious. 'Don't have to tell me twice.' He makes his way to an edge of the roof, the one facing the army of monsters. He throws the vial of greek fire to the feet of the monsters, and green fire bursts out of the destroyed vial, boxing a portion of the monsters again. The hunters are spread between two buildings, and they spring into action as soon as the ground lit up. All of the monsters in front of the first building have disappeared, so Thalia and her hunters must have already made their way to the third building. We repeat this process again and again until we come to the fifth rooftop.

'Last vial!' I yell out.

'I could have done this all by myself. Why do I need you again?' He grumbles. Right after he says that, five harpies shoot up into the roof. In that split second, the harpies have our unyielding attention and they use that second to dive and knock Nathan off his feet.

'That's why you need me!' I ready my celestial bronze sword; the celestial bronze blade reflects the moonlight.

The greek fire fumbles from his grip as Nathan's back slammed against the floor, the vial slides away to the edge of the side that faces the rooftop that we came from. The vial remains unharmed, or we all would have been burst into flame by now.

'Get the vial!' Nathan rolls to his stomach, his hands about to push him back up.

I dive for the vial but two harpies interfere and take me by my shoulders. Their claws sinking deep into the flesh of my shoulders as they take me up into the air. I yell out in pain, it takes me a whole second before realizing that they're going to take me off the rooftop and drop me to the ground where their friends are. Basically the option is whether I'm going to die from falling seventy five feet off the ground or being the chew toy of the monsters below.

I thrust my sword upward into one of the harpies carrying me, the blade penetrates its body and it dissolves into dust. The other harpy loses its balance, perhaps it's not strong enough to lift me up on its own. I take the opportunity to slash the feet of the harpy. It drops me down but to my luck, it drops me upper body on the edge of the roof and lower body over the edge, my body slides into the gap between the two buildings. At the last moment, I desperately grab the ledge and hang on there, dangling in the air. I pull myself up, rolling right away back to the ground. I lay on my back, looking straight up into the sky with my arms and legs spread. I lay there for five seconds flat before rising back up to my feet.

'I hate harpies.' I mutter. I look at Nathan, fending off now only two harpies. I would have dashed to his aid but I remember that I have something else that I need to do. I sprint to the last vial of greek fire and picks it off the ground. I make my way to the edge and I fling the vial to the feet of the monsters. It burns brightly but the monsters have broken off from their formation. The fire still works, burning the monsters, and causing more mayhem.

I turn quickly to Nathan, ready to help him, but when I look in his direction, his sword already went through the last harpy. He pulls his blade back and the harpy dissolves into dust. Nathan looks to be slightly out of breath, but his face is still deadly calm.

I look over to the ground force, disposing monsters at every move. 'How many do you think we've killed?'

Nathan stares at the battle below, 'Enough. Now their morale is low, we hold the higher ground, and their number is decreasing at an alarming rate.' Even though he says that, his face is grim.

I raise a brow, 'Why the long face then?'

Nathan shakes his head, 'It's just… It's hard to believe that Yukimura would allow his troops to keep charging wildly like this, leaving them all to be slaughtered. I didn't expect that we would kill so many.'

'You made it sound like it's a bad thing.'

He looks to me with a serious face, 'Yukimura is a master strategist. I don't believe that he would just let his troops march blindly without a commander. Not unless he has a plan.'

I sigh, in movies, he would be right. 'Couldn't it be possible that he contracted some sort of a disease and too sick to lead his army?' I watch the monsters below getting dissolved to dust one by one. We're winning by a seriously large margin.

He laughs a bit, 'That would be swell, but I don't think that's the case.' Nathan looks around, he's searching for something. 'Where's Annabeth?'

'Back at the white house, I think. She's preparing something for the serpent god, I don't really know what though, but I hope it isn't human sacrifice to appease the angry god.' Just then I feel Nathan stiffens.

'Sacrifice..?' He echoes, pausing for a moment. 'Ah, poop.' He groans.

I raise my eyebrow, 'What?'

He looks to me with a grim and serious face, 'I know where Yukimura and the angry serpent god are.'

* * *

**I know, I know, I'm very late this time. Also... I need to take a little break, sorry, but I have to start studying for my entrance exam.**

**I'll try to update as often as I can. I won't disappear, so worry not!**


End file.
